IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/kap/reveho/v22y2024i2d10.1007_s11150-023-09669-3.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Blood and gender bias in informal care within the family

Author

Listed:
  • Chiara Canta

    (TBS Business School)

  • Pierre Pestieau

    (HEC-Liege (University of Liege)
    Paris School of Economics)

  • Jérôme Schoenmaeckers

    (HEC-Liege (University of Liege))

Abstract

This paper deals with the question of the relative contribution of spouses to the long-term care (LTC) needs of their dependent parents and parents in-law. Starting from a theoretical model and using SHARE data, the paper focuses on the role of gender and blood relationships as well as the effect of differential opportunity costs within the couple. The results tend to confirm the existence of gender and blood biases in the level of informal care provided by each spouse, while their wage does not seem to play a large role. When we consider the relative level of informal care by spouses, the gender and blood biases are confirmed. Furthermore, the wage ratio is negatively related to the informal care ratio. These results imply that informal care and private insurance coverage may depend on the gender composition of children, which may justify differentiated public LTC transfers.

Suggested Citation

  • Chiara Canta & Pierre Pestieau & Jérôme Schoenmaeckers, 2024. "Blood and gender bias in informal care within the family," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 22(2), pages 595-631, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:reveho:v:22:y:2024:i:2:d:10.1007_s11150-023-09669-3
    DOI: 10.1007/s11150-023-09669-3
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11150-023-09669-3
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s11150-023-09669-3?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Xavier Flawinne & Mathieu Lefebvre & Sergio Perelman & Pierre Pestieau & Jérôme Schoenmaeckers, 2023. "Nursing homes and mortality in Europe: Uncertain causality," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 32(1), pages 134-154, January.
    2. Justina Klimaviciute & Pierre Pestieau & Jérôme Schoenmaeckers, 2020. "Long‐Term Care Insurance With Family Altruism: Theory and Empirics," Journal of Risk & Insurance, The American Risk and Insurance Association, vol. 87(4), pages 895-918, December.
    3. Arthur Lewbel, 2012. "Using Heteroscedasticity to Identify and Estimate Mismeasured and Endogenous Regressor Models," Journal of Business & Economic Statistics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 30(1), pages 67-80.
    4. Christopher F Baum & Arthur Lewbel, 2019. "Advice on using heteroskedasticity-based identification," Stata Journal, StataCorp LP, vol. 19(4), pages 757-767, December.
    5. Roméo Fontaine & Agnès Gramain & Jérôme Wittwer, 2009. "Providing care for an elderly parent: interactions among siblings?," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 18(9), pages 1011-1029, September.
    6. Frederic Vermeulen, 2002. "Collective Household Models: Principles and Main Results," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 16(4), pages 533-564, September.
    7. Liliana E. Pezzin & Barbara Steinberg Schone, 1999. "Intergenerational Household Formation, Female Labor Supply and Informal Caregiving: A Bargaining Approach," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 34(3), pages 475-503.
    8. Tennille J. Checkovich & Steven Stern, 2002. "Shared Caregiving Responsibilities of Adult Siblings with Elderly Parents," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 37(3), pages 441-478.
    9. Alfonso Sousa-Poza & Hans Schmid & Rolf Widmer, 2001. "The allocation and value of time assigned to housework and child-care: An analysis for Switzerland," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 14(4), pages 599-618.
    10. Leigh, Andrew, 2010. "Informal care and labor market participation," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 17(1), pages 140-149, January.
    11. CREMER, Helmuth & PESTIEAU, Pierre & PONTHIERE, Grégory, 2012. "The economics of long-term care: a survey," LIDAM Discussion Papers CORE 2012030, Université catholique de Louvain, Center for Operations Research and Econometrics (CORE).
    12. Douglas Staiger & James H. Stock, 1997. "Instrumental Variables Regression with Weak Instruments," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 65(3), pages 557-586, May.
    13. Daniel Barczyk & Matthias Kredler, 2018. "Evaluating Long-Term-Care Policy Options, Taking the Family Seriously," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 85(2), pages 766-809.
    14. repec:dau:papers:123456789/13781 is not listed on IDEAS
    15. Carmichael, Fiona & Charles, Susan, 2003. "The opportunity costs of informal care: does gender matter?," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 22(5), pages 781-803, September.
    16. Michele Wilson & Courtney Houtven & Sally Stearns & Elizabeth Clipp, 2007. "Depression and Missed Work among Informal Caregivers of Older Individuals with Dementia," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 28(4), pages 684-698, December.
    17. repec:dau:papers:123456789/1879 is not listed on IDEAS
    18. David Byrne & Michelle S. Goeree & Bridget Hiedemann & Steven Stern, 2009. "Formal Home Health Care, Informal Care, And Family Decision Making," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 50(4), pages 1205-1242, November.
    19. Parente, Paulo M.D.C. & Santos Silva, J.M.C., 2012. "A cautionary note on tests of overidentifying restrictions," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 115(2), pages 314-317.
    20. Fuino, Michel & Wagner, Joël, 2020. "Duration of long-term care: Socio-economic factors, type of care interactions and evolution," Insurance: Mathematics and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 90(C), pages 151-168.
    21. Justina Klimaviciute & Sergio Perelman & Pierre Pestieau & Jerome Schoenmaeckers, 2017. "Caring for dependent parents: Altruism, exchange or family norm?," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 30(3), pages 835-873, July.
    22. Helmuth Cremer & Firouz Gahvari & Jean-Marie Lozachmeur, 2010. "Tagging and Income Taxation: Theory and an Application," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, American Economic Association, vol. 2(1), pages 31-50, February.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Norton, E.C., 2016. "Health and Long-Term Care," Handbook of the Economics of Population Aging, in: Piggott, John & Woodland, Alan (ed.), Handbook of the Economics of Population Aging, edition 1, volume 1, chapter 0, pages 951-989, Elsevier.
    2. David C. Grabowski & Edward C. Norton & Courtney H. Van Houtven, 2012. "Informal Care," Chapters, in: Andrew M. Jones (ed.), The Elgar Companion to Health Economics, Second Edition, chapter 30, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    3. Emmanouil Mentzakis & Paul McNamee & Mandy Ryan, 2009. "Who cares and how much: exploring the determinants of co-residential informal care," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 7(3), pages 283-303, September.
    4. Cremer, Helmuth & Canta, Chiara, 2022. "Family bargaining and the gender gap in informal care," TSE Working Papers 2022-1352, Toulouse School of Economics (TSE).
    5. Rapp, Thomas & Apouey, Bénédicte H. & Senik, Claudia, 2018. "The impact of institution use on the wellbeing of Alzheimer's disease patients and their caregivers," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 207(C), pages 1-10.
    6. Barigozzi, Francesca & Cremer, Helmuth & Roeder, Kerstin, 2020. "Caregivers in the family: Daughters, sons and social norms," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 130(C).
    7. Michelle Sovinsky & Steven Stern, 2016. "Dynamic modelling of long-term care decisions," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 14(2), pages 463-488, June.
    8. Canta, Chiara & Pestieau, Pierre & Schoenmaeckers, Jérôme, 2021. "Blood and Gender Bias in Informal Care within the Family?," LIDAM Discussion Papers CORE 2021015, Université catholique de Louvain, Center for Operations Research and Econometrics (CORE).
    9. Shiko Maruyama & Meliyanni Johar, 2017. "Do siblings free‐ride in “being there” for parents?," Quantitative Economics, Econometric Society, vol. 8(1), pages 277-316, March.
    10. Sandrine Juin, 2016. "Care for dependent elderly people : dealing with health and financing issues," Erudite Ph.D Dissertations, Erudite, number ph16-02 edited by Thomas Barnay.
    11. Bridget Hiedemann & Michelle Sovinsky & Steven Stern, 2018. "Will You Still Want Me Tomorrow?: The Dynamics of Families’ Long-Term Care Arrangements," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 53(3), pages 663-716.
    12. Andreas Kotsadam, 2012. "The employment costs of caregiving in Norway," International Journal of Health Economics and Management, Springer, vol. 12(4), pages 269-283, December.
    13. Nguyen, Ha Trong & Connelly, Luke Brian, 2014. "The effect of unpaid caregiving intensity on labour force participation: Results from a multinomial endogenous treatment model," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 100(C), pages 115-122.
    14. Van Houtven, Courtney Harold & Coe, Norma B. & Skira, Meghan M., 2013. "The effect of informal care on work and wages," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 32(1), pages 240-252.
    15. Quitterie Roquebert & Roméo Fontaine & Agnès Gramain, 2016. "L'aide à un parent âgé, seul et dépendant : déterminants structurels et interactions," Documents de travail du Centre d'Economie de la Sorbonne 16030, Université Panthéon-Sorbonne (Paris 1), Centre d'Economie de la Sorbonne.
    16. Francisca M. Antman, 2012. "Elderly Care and Intrafamily Resource Allocation when Children Migrate," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 47(2), pages 331-363.
    17. Meliyanni Johar & Shiko Maruyama, 2012. "Externality and Strategic Interaction in the Location Choice of Siblings under Altruism toward Parents," Working Papers 201201, ARC Centre of Excellence in Population Ageing Research (CEPAR), Australian School of Business, University of New South Wales.
    18. Bauer, Jan Michael & Sousa-Poza, Alfonso, 2015. "Impacts of Informal Caregiving on Caregiver Employment, Health, and Family," IZA Discussion Papers 8851, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    19. Thanh‐Tung Nguyen & Trung Thanh Nguyen & Ulrike Grote, 2023. "Internet use and agricultural productivity in rural Vietnam," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(3), pages 1309-1326, August.
    20. Heger, Dörte & Korfhage, Thorben, 2017. "Does the negative effect of caregiving on work persist over time?," Ruhr Economic Papers 703, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, University of Duisburg-Essen.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Informal long-term care; Couple decision-making; Altruism;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D1 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior
    • D6 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics
    • H21 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Efficiency; Optimal Taxation
    • H31 - Public Economics - - Fiscal Policies and Behavior of Economic Agents - - - Household

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:kap:reveho:v:22:y:2024:i:2:d:10.1007_s11150-023-09669-3. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.