Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/110154 
Year of Publication: 
2015
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 8851
Publisher: 
Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA), Bonn
Abstract: 
As the aging population increases, the demand for informal caregiving is becoming an ever more important concern for researchers and policy-makers alike. To shed light on the implications of informal caregiving, this paper reviews current research on its impact on three areas of caregivers' lives: employment, health, and family. Because the literature is inherently interdisciplinary, the research designs, sampling procedures, and statistical methods used are heterogeneous. Nevertheless, we are still able to draw several conclusions: first, despite the prevalence of informal caregiving and its primary association with lower levels of employment, the affected labor force is seemingly small. Second, such caregiving tends to lower the quality of the caregiver's psychological health, which also has a negative impact on physical health outcomes. Third, the implications for family life remain under investigated. The research findings also differ strongly among subgroups, although they do suggest that female, spousal, and intense caregivers tend to be the most affected by caregiving.
Subjects: 
health
work hours
employment
informal care
review
JEL: 
E26
J14
J46
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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