Women provide nearly two-thirds of all elder care, with wives more likely to care for husbands than vice versa and daughters 28% more likely to care for a parent than sons. Making up 47% of the workforce in 2015, burgeoning caregiving demands will disproportionately fall on working-age women, as will the associated decreases in self-esteem.
For women who remain in the workforce, dementia care responsibilities can increase costs to their employers from absenteeism, productivity loss, stress-related disability claims. It remains to be seen whether men can be persuaded to assume an equal share of the burden of caregiving. While gender parity in childcare is modestly growing, gender parity in dementia care is unlikely to occur anytime soon.5 Hard-fought gains toward equality in the workplace for women are at risk.
This article is not available from the Academy Library’s collection. If you would like us to request it from another library, please call 0161 291 5778 or email the UHSM Academy Library