When Family caregiving Occurs in Your 30s or 40s

Issues of Earning Loss and Marriage Problem as of the 50s

Abstract

The number of family caregivers in their 30s and 40s, a relatively young age group, has been increasing in recent years. At the same time, people in their 30s and 40s are at a critical juncture in their lives, both at work and in their family life. The occurrence of family caregiving at such young age phase may have a detrimental effect on the caregivers' own career development and family formation. Using data from a survey of individuals who have cared for their own parents or grandparents, this paper examines how the occurrence of caregiving in 30s or 40s will affect their earning and marriage probability as of the 50s.

The estimation results show that the early occurrence of caregiving imposes negative impact on the marriage probability of females and on the earning of males. Specifically, the probability of getting married as of the 50s is 10.7 percentage points lower for women who became caregivers in their 40s, and 26.3 percentage points lower for those who began caregiving in their 30s, compared with females who started caregiving in their 50s. For male caregivers, the early occurrence of caregiving leads to a significant decline of earnings in their 50s. Compared with males who began caregiving in their 50s, males who became caregivers in their 40s are earning 400 thousand Yen (about $3,500) less annually.