Female labor force participation and informal care of adults: evidence for a middle-income country

The provision of elderly care is an issue of increasing importance in Latin American countries. This paper analyses the relationship between providing informal care to adults and labour outcomes in Chile - a middle-income Latin American country with a rapidly ageing population.

The document indicates that rapid ageing in Chile and Latin America will have several effects on health, public finance, and the labour market.

The paper finds that:

• poor households are more likely to be involved in care giving activities, but the presence of a spouse reduces the likelihood of provision of care
• in the same way, women are more likely to provide care for an adult, but if a woman has a partner, she is less likely to provide care
• women who provide informal care have low levels of employability or low attachment to the labour force
• the number of sisters is negatively related to informal care, but number of brothers does not have any relationship with informal care
• informal care does not affect the decision to work or hours of work
  

The document concludes that adult care giving is for parents and not spouses. Still, it emphasises that further research should focus on the intensity of informal care on labour, separately considering the care provided to parents and spouses.

The authors lastly suggest that the correct policy should focus on improving the human capital of informal providers.