Informal long-term care and its gender distribution: a systematic review

Abstract

Purpose: European countries are experiencing a phenomenon known as “double aging,” which is placing long-term care regimes under considerable strain. The majority of long-term care is provided by relatives, and this informal care is vital for the functioning of care regimes. Most of this informal long-term care (iLTC) is provided by women. The consequences of the unequal distribution of care within society are a crucial, yet poorly addressed aspect of social policy research. We address this research gap and provide insights into the socio-economic impacts of the unequal gender distribution of iLTC. Design/methodology/approach: For the review, systematic database searches were performed in PubMed and EBSCO CINAHL, using the SPIDER methodology. A total of 7,385 abstracts were screened, whereof 11 studies were included. A critical appraisal tool, the PRISMA checklist and a qualitative synthesis were applied. Findings: Three analytical themes were identified: (1) Social Experiences and Norms, (2) Informal Caregivers’ Labour Market Participation and (3) Economic Costs of iLTC. The results showed that women and men are impacted differently: Women are quantitatively discriminated, while caregiving men are likely to face qualitative discrimination within their tasks due to role expectations and gender norms. Originality/value: Novel insights emerge from embedding fragmented empirical findings into a holistic societal perspective, opening possibilities for addressing (adverse) outcomes together on a policy level. The findings are of interest for policy makers developing measures to ensure sufficient care supply whilst taking action against gender inequality.