The Caregiving Less Studied: Understanding the Work-Family Conflict of Employees with Eldercare Responsibilities

Abstract

Eldercare is on the rise in the US due to the aging baby boomer population, and over half of unpaid caregivers in the US (25.3 million) are also employed. The work-family literature has thoroughly investigated the effects of childcare responsibilities on work-family conflict experienced by employees, but eldercare effects are less understood. The structural, emotional, and relational differences between eldercare and childcare and their effects on work-family conflict are examined using samples of employed childcare, eldercare, and sandwiched caregivers. Two online surveys were administered one month apart via Amazon’s Mechanical Turk. Results show that caregiving experiences differ structurally and emotionally, and that the emotional nuances of eldercare are related to work-family conflict. However, caregiving status (i.e., childcare, eldercare, or both [sandwiched]) was not related to work-family conflict, and the structural characteristics of eldercare being less predictable, understandable, and controllable were not found to moderate this relationship. More detailed findings, implications, limitations, and future research directions are discussed.