© 2017 Vanier Institute of the Family www.vanierinstitute.ca

Women, Caregiving and Work in Canada

@vanierinstitute

In 2012, women accounted for 54% of allsurveyed caregivers (those who providedsome type of care to a family member orfriend with a long-term health condition,disability or aging need1).2

On average, women aged 45 and olderreport having spent about 5.8 yearsproviding care throughout their lives,compared with 3.4 years for men.7

While women and men provided a similarmedian hours per week of care (4 and 3hours per week, respectively), women aresignificantly more likely than men to reporthaving spent 20 hours or more per weekproviding care (17% and 11%).8

Coinciding with findings from previousresearch, the delivery of caregiving tasks in 2012 was divided along gender lines.Women were more likely to report performingwhat has been considered “traditionallyfemale” tasks, such as housekeeping, mealpreparation and personal/medical care. This work is typicallymore time-consumingand less compatible with flexible schedulingthan other tasks, such as outdoor work andhouse maintenance.4

Women were more likely than men toreport assisting with medical treatments(27% and 18%, respectively) andhousework (59% and 41%).6

Women were twice as likely as men to provide personal care (29% and 13%, respectively), including bathing and dressing.5

30% 26%

30% of allwomen in Canada reportedthat they provided care in 2012,compared with 26% of men.3 The gapbetween female and male caregiversvaried across age groups, with ratesincreasingly converging for those aged 55 and older.

3.4 years5.8 years

11%17%

Women Men

30.1%

24.9%

(5.2% gap) (7.7% gap) (4.7% gap) (2% gap) (5.2% gap) (1.6% gap) (0.4% gap)

28.1%

20.4%

27%

22.3%

37.5%35.5%

38.9%

33.7%

25.1% 23.5%

13.3% 13.7%

15 to 24 25 to 34 35 to 44 45 to 54 55 to 64 65 to 74 75 and over

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R4/G32/B46H 04202e

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C48/M0/Y100/K53

R R86/G118/B50H 567632

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C20/M33/Y96/K0

R R209/G167/B50H d1a732

V

C80/M46/Y26/K3

R R60/G119/B153H 3c7799

V

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V

R147/G122/B177H 937ab1

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© 2017 Vanier Institute of the Family www.vanierinstitute.ca@vanierinstitute

1Does not include child care.

2Maire Sinha, “Portrait of Caregivers, 2012,” Spotlight on Canadians:Results from the General Social Survey, Statistics Canada catalogueno. 89-652-X (September 2013), http://bit.ly/1jxgAAm.

3Martin Turcotte, “Family Caregiving: What Are the Consequences?”Insights on Canadian Society, Statistics Canada catalogue no. 75-006-X (September 2013), http://bit.ly/1cZSoSJ.

4Janet Fast, “Caregiving for Older Adults with Disabilities: PresentCosts, Future Challenges,” Institute for Research on Public PolicyStudy, no. 58 (December 2015), http://bit.ly/2jAH6yv.

5 Sinha, 2012.

6 Ibid.

7 Fast, 2015.

8Sinha, 2012.

9 Statistics Canada “The Surge of Women in the Workforce,” Canadian Megatrends, Statistics Canada catalogue no. 11-630-X,http://bit.ly/1NApdJP.

10 Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey Estimates (LFS), by Sex and Age Group, Seasonally Adjusted and Unadjusted, CANSIM Table 282-0087.

11 Meredith B. Lilly, “The Hard Work of Balancing Employment andCaregiving: What Can Canadian Employers Do to Help?” HealthcarePolicy/Politiques de Santé 7:2 (November 2011), http://bit.ly/2lYDnyh.

12Fast, 2015.

13Research on Aging, Policy and Practice (RAPP), “EmploymentConsequences of Family/Friend Caregiving in Canada,” Fact Sheet(April 2011), http://bit.ly/2mJRg1F.

14 Fast, 2015.

15Employment and Social Development Canada, “When Work andCaregiving Collide: How Employers Can Support Their Employees Who Are Caregivers,” Report from the Employer Panel for Caregivers(January 27, 2016), http://bit.ly/2k74Dua.

This content was reviewed by Janet Fast, Ph.D., Professor in the Department of Human Ecology at the University of Alberta and Co-director of the Research on Aging, Policies and Practice program (RAPP).

Over their lifetimes, 30% of employedwomen caregivers report missing atleast one full day of work, 6.4% retiredearly, quit or lost their paid job, and 4.7%turned down a job offer or promotion asa result of difficulties balancing care andpaid work.13

Learn about the intersection of family caregiving and work in a broader context with A Snapshot of FamilyCaregiving and Work in Canada.

Estimates have shown that theaggregated wages lost by caregiversdue to absenteeism, reducing workhours or leaving employment entirelystood at $221 million annually forwomen and $116 million for menbetween 2003 and 2008.14

The labour force participation rate ofwomen in Canada aged 25 to 54 hasincreased significantly over the pasthalf-century, from 37% in 1966 to 82%in 2016.9, 10

An estimated 72% of womencaregivers aged 45 to 65 in Canada are also in the labour force.11

One in seven of all employed caregiversreport that they reduced their paid workhours to provide care. Women cut backtheir hours by an average 10 hours perweek and men by 9 hours per week.12

Among women caregivers who haveaccess to flexible work arrangements(e.g. flexible schedules, telework), nearlyhalf (47%) say they feel they cannotutilize these optionswithout it having a negative impact on their careers(45% among men).15

37%

1966 2016

82%

1 in 7

$116 million$221 million