TL;DR
Get health and wellness essentials delivered free with Prime
- Fast, free delivery on millions of items
- Prime Video, Amazon Music and more included
- Member-only deals all year
A University of Michigan study estimates that U.S. women can expect to provide seven years of care to older adults over their lifetimes, compared with four years for men. The gender gap grew from two years in 2011 to three years in 2023, while estimated years spent caring for a spouse or partner were about equal.
Women in the United States can expect to spend seven years of their lives caring for older family members or friends, compared with four years for men, according to a University of Michigan study published in 2026. The estimated gap grew from two years in 2011 to three years in 2023, despite attention to men’s increasing participation in caregiving.
The study, published in The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, estimates the number of years adults can expect to provide care across their lifetimes if current caregiving rates continue. Researchers Vicki Freedman and Crystal Yee To Ng analyzed nearly 8,500 responses to the National Study of Caregiving alongside federal population data, covering U.S. adults aged 20 and older.
Caregiving in the research includes help with personal care, household tasks, transportation and medical activities. The gender difference appeared across the types of assistance examined: women were expected to spend more years than men helping older adults, including with bathing or dressing and providing rides, Freedman said.
The pattern differed for care provided to a spouse or partner. Women and men were each estimated to spend about 1.5 years over their lifetimes caring for a husband, wife or partner. For other relationships, women could expect to spend more than an additional year caring for a parent, several more months caring for a grandparent, and more than an additional year caring for extended family and friends, the researchers reported.
The Growing Load Beyond Spousal Care
The estimates point to a persistent difference in who is expected to provide care to older adults, especially outside marriage or partnerships. For families, those years can involve practical responsibilities such as arranging transport and helping with daily activities. The study does not measure the personal or financial consequences of that care, but its lifetime approach shows that brief, one-time surveys may miss how the responsibility accumulates over the course of a person’s life.
The findings also matter as the number of older adults needing support rises. Medical Xpress reported that the number of family caregivers assisting U.S. adults aged 65 and older increased from 18 million in 2011 to more than 24 million in recent years. The researchers warn that more older people living without close family could increase demand for support from friends, extended relatives and other sources.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
How Researchers Counted Care Years
Many earlier studies have measured caregiving over a short period, such as several months. The Michigan researchers instead used a demographic method to combine information across age groups and estimate how many years of care an adult might provide across a lifetime. The estimates are projections based on current rates, not a count of each participant’s completed lifetime caregiving.
The researchers compared estimates for 2011 and 2023. Women’s estimated lifetime caregiving rose from six years to seven, while men’s remained at four years. That comparison describes years of care over a lifetime; it does not mean every woman will provide exactly seven years, or that the same individuals were followed across the full period.
“Despite attention to the growing number of men taking on caregiving responsibilities, the gap in lifetime family caregiving has not closed between men and women in recent years.”
— Vicki Freedman, research professor at the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research
adult caregiving assistive devices
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Limits of Lifetime Projections
The estimates describe expected years of care if current rates hold into the future; they are not a forecast that accounts for every change in family structure, health needs or care services. The source material does not provide confidence intervals or enough detail to assess how uncertainty around the estimates differs by relationship or type of help.
The study also does not establish why women’s estimated caregiving years are higher, or measure effects on caregivers’ employment, income, health or well-being. While the researchers identify rising numbers of older adults without close kin as a possible pressure on care networks, the scale and effects of that change are not specified in the report.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Family and Care Services Shape Trends
The researchers say future patterns will depend on how families change, whether paid care is available and affordable, and social norms around who takes responsibility. They suggest that increasing care needs among older adults and growth in the number of people without close relatives could widen gender differences, but present that as a possibility rather than a settled outcome.
The next useful evidence will show whether the lifetime estimates change as newer caregiving and population data become available, and whether access to paid support alters who provides unpaid care. For now, the study offers a comparison of 2011 and 2023 rates—not a definitive account of future caregiving burdens.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Key Questions
How many lifetime years of care are women and men estimated to provide?
The study estimates seven years for women and four years for men caring for older family members or friends, based on 2023 rates.
Did the estimated gender gap change between 2011 and 2023?
Yes. The estimated difference grew from two years in 2011 to three years in 2023. Women’s estimate rose from six to seven years, while men’s stayed at four.
Is there a gender gap in spousal caregiving?
The study estimates that men and women each spend about 1.5 lifetime years caring for a spouse or partner, so it did not find a difference in that category.
How did the researchers calculate lifetime caregiving?
They analyzed nearly 8,500 National Study of Caregiving responses with federal population data and used a demographic method to estimate lifetime years for U.S. adults aged 20 and older. The estimates assume current rates continue.
Does the study explain why women provide more care?
No. It reports differences in estimated caregiving years but does not establish their causes. The researchers say future patterns may be shaped by family changes, paid-care access and affordability, and social norms.
Source: rss
Halloween Picks
halloween
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
