Combining family caring with paid work in Britain

1. Combining family caring with paid work in Britain 17th October 2005

2. Striving for Work-Life Balance • Multiple roles in work & family life • Key policy issue • GB Govt. Work-Life Balance campaign • Little research in GB on extent of multiple roles in mid-life & effect on quality of life

3. Striving for Work-Life Balance • Family and Working Lives Survey 1994/5 • General Household Survey 1985-2000 • Key research findings • Extent of multiple roles • Impact of caring on employment • Impact of family caring on pension prospects • Key policy implications

4. Extent of multiple role occupancy in Britain • Being "caught in the middle" remains atypical

5. Fig 1: Multiple Roles amongst 45-59/64 years, FWLS Parental Status Paid Work 34.4% 27.6% 12.0% 2.0% 1.4% 1.5% 18.7% don’t have any of these 3 roles 2.4% Informal Caring Source: Evandrou, M. Glaser, K. & Henz, U. (2002)

6. Extent of multiple role occupancy in Britain • Being "caught in the middle" remains atypical • Multiple role occupancy more common when examined over the life course

7. Table 1: Ever had multiple roles (%), FWLS Source: Evandrou, M. & Glaser, K. (2004)

8. Fig 2: Median duration of caring (yrs) amongst ever carers by age and gender, FWLS Source: Evandrou, M. Glaser, K. & Henz, U. (2002)

9. Extent of multiple role occupancy in Britain • Being "caught in the middle" remains atypical • Multiple role occupancy more common when examined over the life course • Extent of multiple roles increasing across cohorts

10. Fig 3: Percent of mid-life women occupying all 3 roles of carer, parent, worker. Source: Evandrou, M. & Glaser, K. (2004) Using GHS 1985, 1990, 1995, 2000

11. Fig 4: Percent of mid-life women occupying role of carer & paid worker. Source: Evandrou, M. & Glaser, K. (2004) Using GHS 1985, 1990, 1995, 2000

12. What is the impact of starting to care upon paid work?

13. Table 2: Respondents reporting impact of first episode of caring on work arrangements, amongst ever carers aged 45-59/64 yrs (%), FWLS Source: Evandrou, M. & Glaser, K. (2003)

14. Table 3: Respondents reporting impact of end of last episode of caring on work arrangements (%), FWLS Source: Evandrou, M. & Glaser, K. (2003)

15. Fig 5: Years of full-time employment amongst mid-life men who have ‘ever cared’ by age and response to caring, FWLS Source: Evandrou, M. & Glaser, K. (2003)

16. Fig 6: Years of full-time employment amongst mid-life women who have ‘ever cared’ by age and response to caring, FWLS Source: Evandrou, M. & Glaser, K. (2003)

17. Fig 7: Years of part-time employment amongst mid-life women who have ‘ever cared’ by age and response to caring, FWLS Source: Evandrou, M. & Glaser, K. (2003)

18. Calculating pension entitlements FWLS provides info on: • Contributions to 1st tier public pension • Basic State Pension (BSP) • Contribution Credits • Home Responsibility Protection (HRP) • Contributions to 2nd tier pensions • (public, occupational & personal)

19. Caring and pension entitlements Summary findings: • Men who stopped working due to caringmade fewer contributions to BSP • After Credits & HRP taken into account, these men have higher entitlement than on average • Credits & HRP are working to protect carers

20. Table 4: Membership of occupational pension scheme at any stage during working life, 45-59/64 yrs, FWLS Source: Evandrou, M. & Glaser, K. (2003)

21. Summary of key findings • Low prevalence of multiple roles • Higher prevalence of ‘ever’ had MR • Evidence of negative impact of caring on paid work • Caring has negative impact on accumulation pension entitlements, both state and private

22. Policy Implications

23. Juggling work and family life: towards a better work-life balance • Improve flexible working practices • Parental leave • Time-off for dependants • Long-term career breaks • Supporting carers to remain in employment • Financial incentives for the low paid

24. Juggling work and family life: towards a better work-life balance • Improve pension protection for carers • Extend Credits for second tier pension to low paid carers, caring > 20 hrs pw

25. Further reading on the project • Evandrou, M. and Glaser, K. (2004) ‘Family, Work and Quality of Life: Changing Economic and Social Roles Through the Lifecourse’, Ageing and Society Vol. 24(1):1-21. • Evandrou, M. and Glaser, K. (2003) ‘Combining Work and Family Life: The Pension Penalty of Caring’, Ageing and Society, Vol. 23 (5): 583-602. • Evandrou, M. and Glaser, K. (2002) ‘Changing Economic and Social Roles: the Experience of Four Cohorts of Mid-life Individuals in Britain, 1985-1995’, Population Trends,No.110: 7-18. • Evandrou, M. Glaser, K. and Henz, U. (2002) ‘Balancing work and family life: multiple role occupancy in mid-life and quality of life’, The Gerontologist, Vol. 42 (5): 1-9.

26. Further general reading • Dautzenberg, M.G.H., Diederiks, J.P.M., Philipsen, H., & Stevens, F.C.J. (1998). Women of a middle generation and parent care. International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 47, 241-262 • Philips, J, Bernard, M and Chittenden (2002) Juggling Work and Care: The Experiences of Working Carers of Older Adults, Joseph Rowntree Foundation and Policy Press, Bristol. • Rosenthal, C. J., Martin-Matthews, A., and Matthews, S. H. (1996). Caught in the middle? Occupancy in multiple roles and help to parents in a national probability sample of Canadian adults. Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences, 51B, S274-S283. • Yeandle, S, Wigfield, A, Crompton, R and Dennett, J (2002) Employers, Communities and Family-Friendly Employment Policies. Joseph Rowntree Foundation and Policy Press, Bristol.

27. Contact details www.ageing.soton.ac.uk Email: ageing@soton.ac.uk Centre for Research on Ageing University of Southampton

28. WUN Videoconferencing Seminar Series Your comments on the seminar are welcome Web link to online feedback form http://www.zoomerang.com/survey.zgi?p=WEB224NCG88F5U