Unpaid Eldercare In The United States--2013-14 - Data From The American Time Use Survey
September 23, 2015 - Sixteen percent (40.4 million) of the civilian noninstitutional population age 15 and over provide unpaid eldercare, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Of the 40.4 million eldercare providers, a majority are employed (61 percent) and nearly one-half are employed full time (47 percent). These estimates are averages for the 2-year period of 2013-14; combining the 2 years of data facilitates a more in-depth analysis of eldercare.
Eldercare providers are defined as individuals who provide unpaid care to someone age 65 or older who needs help because of a condition related to aging. This care can be provided to household or nonhousehold members, as well as persons living in retirement homes or assisted care facilities. Eldercare can involve a range of care activities, such as assisting with grooming, preparing meals, and providing transportation. Eldercare also can involve providing companionship or being available to assist when help is needed, and thus it can be associated with nearly any activity.
Information about eldercare providers and the time they spend providing care were collected as part of the American Time Use Survey (ATUS). The ATUS is a continuous household survey that provides estimates on how people spend their time.
Eldercare providers in 2013-14
• Of the 40.4 million eldercare providers in the civilian noninstitutional population age 15 and over, the majority (57 percent) were women.
• Individuals whose ages were 45 to 64 were the most likely to provide eldercare (23 percent),followed by those age 65 and over (17 percent).
• Nearly one-half of eldercare providers had provided care for 2 years or less, while 15 percent had provided care for 10 years or more.
• The majority (70 percent) of eldercare providers cared for only one person. Twenty-two percent of eldercare providers cared for two persons, and 7 percent cared for three or more persons.
• Eighty-three percent of eldercare providers cared only for persons with whom they did not live.
• Twenty-two percent of all eldercare providers were parents with children under age 18 living with them.
• Over half of eldercare providers ages 15 to 34 cared for a grandparent, while the majority of providers ages 35 to 64 cared for a parent. Providers ages 65 and over were more likely than those in other age groups to care for a friend or neighbor.
Time spent providing eldercare in 2013-14
• On a given day, nearly one-fourth (24 percent) of eldercare providers engaged in eldercare. Eldercare providers who were ages 65 and older were the most likely to provide care on a given day.
• There were 6.3 million eldercare providers who cared solely for someone with whom they lived. On average over all days--including days they did and did not provide care--these providers spent 2.8 hours per day providing care.
• Eldercare providers who cared for a spouse or unmarried partner spent an average of 4.0 hours per day providing eldercare (includes days they did and did not provide care).
• On days they provided eldercare, persons spent an average of 3.2 hours in caregiving activities. Providers ages 65 and over spent the most time providing eldercare (4.4 hours), and providers ages 15 to 24 spent the least amount of time (1.1 hours).
• On weekend days they provided care, eldercare providers spent an average of 3.6 hours doing so. This compares to an average of 3.0 hours for those who provided care on weekdays.
• On days they provided eldercare, women spent more time providing this care than did men (3.5 hours compared with 2.7 hours).
Eldercare activities in 2013-14
• On days they provided care, 39 percent of eldercare providers engaged in caregiving associated with household activities, spending on average 40 minutes per day in these activities. This includes 28 percent of providers who engaged in eldercare associated with food preparation and cleanup and 12 percent who provided eldercare associated with housework.
• Thirty-two percent of eldercare providers engaged in caregiving associated with leisure and sports on days they provided care, spending 1.1 hours per day in these activities. This includes 20 percent of eldercare providers who engaged in eldercare associated with socializing and communicating and 13 percent who provided care while watching TV.
• Women were more likely than men to provide eldercare associated with household activities on days they provided care (41 percent compared with 35 percent), whereas women and men were about equally likely to provide eldercare associated with leisure and sports (33 percent and 30 percent, respectively).
Eldercare providers who were parents of household children under age 18 in 2013-14
• There were 8.7 million eldercare providers whose children lived with them. Of these parents, nearly one-third (32 percent) had a child under age 6, and the remainder (69 percent) were parents whose youngest child was between the ages of 6 and 17.
• One-half (50 percent) of eldercare providers who were parents of children under the age of 18 provided care for their own parent. These persons sometimes are described as members of the “sandwich generation” because they are in between two generations that require care.
• Most (78 percent) eldercare providers who were parents were employed, and 63 percent were employed full time. Eighty-five percent of fathers were employed full time, compared with 45 percent of mothers.
• Sixteen percent of eldercare providers who were parents had no spouse or unmarried partner present in the household.
• Eldercare providers who were parents were less likely to provide daily care than the overall population of eldercare providers (12 percent compared with 21 percent).
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
