Research from the Universities of Salford and Aberystwyth examines the costs of staying at home to care for the very young and elderly relatives. More women than men are in fact unpaid carers but men do take on caring tasks and both men and women face trade-offs between employment and unpaid care work. As populations age, this problem will worsen.
Parents spend time caring for their young children.
So too, grown-up children may spend time caring for their parents or elderly relatives. Both scenarios involve costs and benefits to the individual carer. Traditionally, informal care was supplied by women. Because wages for women have risen more than they have for men, women who don't work lose out on a potentially higher amount of earnings. Lost earnings from not working, however, are still higher for men, and they are thus unlikely to take over women's caring roles.