Who Cares? Caring Responsibilities, Age and Gender.

“An ageing population means more older workers may take on caring responsibilities, particularly for a parent. We have shown that working and caring is being combined, particularly by women who are twice as likely than men to combine working and caring.”
Sarah Crofts



People in their 50s and 60s have the most caring responsibilities, particularly if they are women. According to a report published by the Office for National Statistics, there are some distinct gender differences when it comes to caring: Male carers are less likely to work than men without caring duties, women are equally likely to be in work whether they are carers or not, older female workers are twice as likely as older male workers to be informal workers, men tend to care for a spouse or the parents, women often care for a broader range including people who are non-relatives.

Alongside 6.5 million personal stories of the frustration, despair, satisfaction and joy of caring, caring is also rapidly becoming one of the biggest political challenges of the 21st century.

Caring can be rewarding but it may also force carers into "ill-health, poverty and isolation". In fact, 65% of carers in the U.K. aged 60 to 94 have either long-term health problems or disabilities (via).

- - - - - - - -
photograph via