Most persons do not abandon their caregiving responsibilities because of work or volunteer involvement (Spillman & Black, 2005). Instead, they cope as best they can to balance what are often conflicting sets of responsibilities (Pavalko & Artis, 1997; Spiess & Schneider, 2002). However, as family caregiving demands increase, there is a greater probability of adverse work-related adjustments; particularly for women caregivers (National Alliance for Caregiving & the Brandeis University National Center for Women and Aging, 1999). Findings from both international and domestic studies indicate that family caregivers reduce hours of paid work more than is the case for the general population, and that persons with the most intense caregiving responsibilities – mostly women – are significantly more likely to withdraw from the labor market entirely (Lilly, Laporte, & Coyte, 2007; Wakabyashi & Donato, 2005).
In terms of the long-term financial impacts on women caregivers, caring for an elderly parent or spouse may compound the impact(s) of earlier leave taken to care for a child. For most women, fewer contributions to pensions, Social Security and other retirement savings vehicles are the result of reduced hours on the job or fewer years in the workforce. Consequently, women caregivers are significantly less likely to receive a pension. And when they do, the pension is about half as much as those that men receive (Social Security Administration, 2002).
The impact on caregiver health is also significant. One recent report, Caregiving in America: The Health Consequences on Boomer Women, highlights major findings from several studies on the health impacts of caregiving (Knapp, 2009). Among these findings are increased blood pressure, greater risk of cardiovascular disease, a weakened immune system, higher mortality rate, and increased anxiety, depression, and sleeplessness (Cannuscio, et al., 2002; Lee, et al., 2003).
Absenteeism and replacing employees/volunteers who leave in order to provide eldercare can have serious financial consequences for non-profits, and for business in general. Absenteeism among women caregivers due to caregiving responsibilities costs businesses almost $270 million. And the cost to businesses to replace women caregivers who quit their jobs because of their caregiving responsibilities has been estimated at $3.3 billion (Metropolitan Life Insurance Company and National Alliance for Caregiving report, 1997). The cost to businesses because of partial absenteeism (e. g., extended lunch breaks, leaving work early or arriving late) due to women’s caregiving has been estimated at $327 million. Caregiving-related workday interruptions add another $3.8 billion to the burden borne by businesses.
References
Cannuscio, C., C. Jones, I. Kawachi, et al. (2002). Reverberations of family illness: A longitudinal assessment of informal caregiving and mental health status in the nurses’ health study. American Journal of Public Health, 92(8), 1305–11.
Knapp, K. A. (2009). Caregiving in America: The health consequences on Boomer Women. New York: International Longevity Center.
Lee, S., G.A. Colditz, L. Berkman,et al. (2003). Caregiving and Risk of Coronary Heart Disease in U.S. Women: A Prospective Study. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 24, 113-9.
Lilly, M.B., Laporte, A., and Coyte, P. C. (2007). Labor Market Work and Home Care’s Unpaid Caregivers: A Systematic Review of Labor Force Participation Rates, Predictors of Labor Market Withdrawal, and Hours of Work. The Milbank Quarterly, 85 (4), 641–690.
National Alliance for Caregiving and Brandeis University National Center on Women and Aging (1999). The MetLife juggling act study: Balancing caregiving with work and the costs involved. Westport, CT: MetLife Mature Market Institute.
Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, & National Alliance for Caregiving. (1997, June). The Metlife study of employer costs for working caregivers. Connecticut: Metropolitan Life Insurance Company.
Pavalko, E.K. and Artis, J.E. (1997). Women’s Caregiving and Paid Work: Causal Relationships in Late Midlife. Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences 52B (4): S170-S179.
Social Security Administration. (2002, February). Women and Social Security (Fact Sheet). Washington, DC.
Spiess, C.K. and Schneider, U. (2002). Midlife Caregiving and Employment: An Analysis of Adjustments in Work Hours and Informal Care for Female Employees in Europe. European Network of Economic Policy Research Institutes, Working Paper 9: 1-36.
Spillman, B. C., and Black, K. J. (2005). Staying the course: Trends in family caregiving. AARP Public Policy Institute.
Wakabayashi, C. and Donato, K.M. (2005). “The Consequences of Caregiving: Effects on Women’s Employment and Earnings.” Population Research and Policy Review 24: 467-488.
