Working Carers in Europe and How Their Caring Responsibilities Impact Work-Family Life Conflict: Analysis of the European Quality of Life Survey.

Background/

Objectives

Ageing of the population is a pertinent characteristic in developed societies that raises questions of who provides care and how care is provided to frail and dependent old people. The majority of care is provided by family members, friends, and neighbours, many of whom are of working age and active in the labour market. The aim of this study is to research how work and care are intertwined and how they cause conflict for individuals in Europe.

Methods

A hierarchical regression analysis of European Quality of Life Survey data was performed to evaluate the amount of explained variance of work-life conflict according to caring situation, working conditions, and demographic characteristics of an adult European population. A stratified, clustered multistage sample design was used to select 15,656 adult respondents working as employees.

Results

The results show that the three blocks explain about 18% of work-life conflict, with working conditions being the most influential block, followed by demographic characteristics and caring situation.

Conclusions

The frequency of caring, use of formal care, and quality of formal services significantly mitigate work-life conflict, together with the number of working hours, commuting, fear of losing one's job, fear of having insufficient income in old age, and the ease of making ends meet. Care regimes also have a considerable effect on work-life conflict. Countries have the power and responsibility to support working carers in their multiple and often conflicting roles by allowing flexible work arrangements, the right to reduce the number of working hours safely, employment protection during care, emergency leave, and short- and long-term leave, as well as by investing in community-based long-term care models and services.