Family care in Germany and its gender-(un)specific patterns: an analysis using novel data from the German Socio-Economic Panel Innovation Sample

Abstract

This article examines how the characteristics of people needing care determine the provision of family care and the time intensity of caring for men and women. Using novel data, we conduct linear (probability) regression models and find that women face family care demands as often as men but tend to provide more (time-intensive) care. When of retirement age, men are more likely than women to meet care needs for partners and support individuals with lower-severity care needs. Women invest more time caring for (adult) children and co-residents and on higher-severity care than men, particularly when they are of working age.