International Comparison of Working Carers‘ Reconciliation Strategies in Germany, Italy, Poland, and the UK Professor Andreas Hoff Zittau/Goerlitz University, Germany on behalf of the consortium IFA 11 th Global Conference on Ageing 31 May 2012

Contents 1. Research consortium and funding 2. Research questions 3. Rationale for selecting countries 4. Methodological design 4.1Research methods 4.2Theoretical sample and sample realisation 5. Socio-demographics, care and work situation 6.Combining employment and family care 6.1Typical conflict patterns 6.2 Reconciliation strategies 7.Conclusions: How can working carers be effectively supported?

1. Research consortium and funding

Funding This project was funded (€ 400,000) by the Volkswagen Foundation within their Research Programme “Individual and Societal Perspectives of Ageing“ for 2 years from 01/01/2009 to 31/12/2010

research consortium Enterprise study:  Technical University Dortmund (Germany): Prof. Dr. Monika Reichert (Coordinator), Annette Franke  University Duisburg-Essen (Germany): Prof. Dr. Gerhard Bäcker, Angelika Kümmerling Family carer study:  University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (Germany): Dr. Hanneli Döhner, Susanne Kohler  Instituto Nazionale Riposo e Cura Anziani INRCA (Italy) Dr. Giovanni Lamura, Dr. Andrea Principi, Sara Santini  Jagiellonian University Cracow (Poland): Dr. Jolanta Perek-Bialas, Justyna Stypinska  University of Oxford (UK): Dr. Andreas Hoff, Kate Hamblin

10 Research Reports  1 Final Report Secondary Data Analysis SHARE/ELSA + EUROFAMCARE  1 Final Report Employers Perspective  4 National Reports (Germany, Italy, Poland, UK)  1 International Comparative Report  1 International Literature Review  1 European Policy Report  1 Expert Report on the Economic Costs of Lack of Reconciliation

2. Research questions

Research questions 1.What are typical conflict situations between work and care? 2.What strategies do carers use to reconcile work and care for an older individual? 3.How does qualification level of the carers influence the reconciliation of work and care for an older individual? 4.How do employment and income situation of the caregivers' households influence the reconciliation of work and care? 5.What kind of gender inequalities result from reconciliation? 6.What kind of support at public, company or societal level is most efficient for the reconciliation of employment and care for older people? 7.Are there any country specific conflicts or reconciliation strategies? 8.Do carers and employers identify similar or different conflicts/strategies?

3. Rationale for selecting countries

Country differences: Welfare state regimes (Esping-Andersen 1990; Deacon et al. 1992; Ferrara 1996) Conservative-corporatist Liberal-residual Mediterranean Post-communist

Country differences: care providers Family and professional care services Family (low level of care infrastructure)

Country differences: Labour force participation rate of women in % ( Eurostat 2010 ) Women between 15 and 64 years Older workers (55-64 years)

4. Methodological design carers study

4.1 Research methods

Who is a working carer?  According to EUROCARERS a carer is ‘a person who provides unpaid care to someone with a chronic illness, disability or other long lasting health or care need, outside a professional or formal framework’.  ‘Carers’ in this study are defined as any person who cares on an unpaid basis for someone 60 years and older (does not need to be family member), for at least 10 hours per week.  ‘Caring’ means: physical care, instrumental support, household tasks (ADL and IADL), emotional care, and management of care (excluding financial help only);  A ‘working carer’ is any person who reconciles these caring tasks and work- for this study, we have included anyone who works more than 10 hours per week in regular employment (therefore seasonal or occasional employment was not included).

Research methods  Semi-structured, topic-guide based interviews with 60 working family carers in each of the four participating countries (Germany, Italy, Poland, UK)  Problem-centred interview according to Witzel  Transcription of all interviews  Computer assisted analysis (MAXQDA) using qualitative content analysis  Qualitative content analysis according to Mayring  Same topic-guide in the 4 countries  Country based analysis first (4 National Reports), feeding into comparative report

4.2 Theoretical sample and sample realisation

Theoretical Sample  60 interviews in each country;  Combining the aim of a mixed sample with saturation;  The desired mixed sample is as follows: Qualification Level Couple, both working Couple, one working Single, working High (A Levels and above) 10 Low (up to GCSEs) 10

Realised Sample (N=226) Couple both working Couple one working SingleTotal High level of education (ISCED 4-6) DE = 21DE =12DE = UK = 11UK = 10UK = 1334 I = 11I = 03I = 1024 PL = 18PL = 05PL = 1740 Low level of education (ISCED 0-3) DE = 08DE = 04DE = UK = 06UK = 03UK = 0514 I = 16I = PL = 11PL = 03PL = 0418 Total DE = 29DE = 16DE = UK = 18UK = 14UK = 1850 I = 27I = 13I = 2060 PL = 29PL = 8PL = 2158 Total

5. Socio-demographics, work and care situation

Socio-demographics Female carer86 %82 %68 %81 % Married carer Widowed car. 78 % 3 % 68 % 8 % 70 % 3 % 60 % 17 % Age carer54 years 52 years Age care recipient 82 years78 years84 years82 years

Care situation 50+ hours care p. Week 36 %60 %2 %33 % 3-5 y. care 10+ years 36 % 8 % 30 % 32 % 50 % 15 % 29 % 32 % 1 care recipient 78 %64 %92 %81 % Caring for mother 47 %42 %67 %58 %

Work situation Emp. status employee 67 %84 %42 % (55% civil s.) 74 % Priv. Sector Publ. Sector 36 % 30 % 26 % 48 % 27 % 70 % 31 % 43 % Occupation professionals 38 %44 %25 % (47% clerks) 48 % Full-time Employment 66 %50 %78 %66 %

6. Combining employment and care

6.1 Typical conflict patterns

26 Typical conflict situations – similar TIME Lack of timeXXXX Never time to relaxXXXX No break between work and care XXXX Inflexible opening hours XXXX Not enough time for friends & family XXXX

27 Typical conflict situations – similar WORKPLACE / HEALTH Tiredness, lack of attention XXXX CrisesXXXX Limited career progression XXXX Stress – detoriating health XXXX

28 Typical conflict situations – different Financial problemsLow (LTCI, many better off) Strong (additional expenses for care) Medium (extra expenses) Medium (much family involve- ment) Problems with work colleagues / line managers Frequent (fight for entitlem., priv. Sector) Rarely (Line managers, public sector) Infrequent (Private matter) Conflicts with siblingsFrequent Rarely

Conflicts: most significant cross-country variation Adjustments in job necessary (working hours, career progression) High prevalence of burn-out Financial effect (half of the sample, the other half not) Adjustments in job necessary (working hours, career progression) Family conflict (brothers & sisters) Financial effect No reduction of working hours – strict separation work / family Strengthening of family bonds Conflicts in case of hospitalisation No reduction of working hours – strict separation work / family Significant effect on well-being of the working carers Family conflict (brothers & sisters)

6.2 Reconciliation strategies

Informal reconciliation strategies Sharing burden among family membersxxXX Friends & neighbours as last resortxX Time outXXXX

Semi-formal reconciliation strategies ‘Bank of trust’ with line manager, colleagues (includes working long hours, etc.) (x)X Support from voluntary sectorXX Purchase of private care services(x)X Migrant care workers(x)x

Formal reconciliation strategies Flexi-timeXX Care leaveXXX Public care servicesX(x) Cash benefits for care recipientsXXXX Cash benefits for carersXXX(x) Day-care centresXX Formal company policiesXX

Strategies: most significant cross-country variation Using care services + payments of Long-Term Care Insurance Building a relationship of trust with line manager Employing a migrant care worker Sharing the burden with other family members

7. Conclusions

Outlook: How to support more effectively?  Paid care leave schemes  Entitlement to flexibility in workplace  Entitlement to respite care, ideally at home  Introduction of emergency services for carers  Longer hours + greater flexibility of care services  Home visits by care services (information, advice)  Holiday resorts including care facilities  Less bureaucracy! Shorter waiting times!  Co-operation between professional + informal carers  Better transition between institutional/home care  Accommodate specific needs of Dementia patients

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Annex: Additional information

Key elements of the research (A) Carers Study  International literature review  Secondary data analysis of SHARE/ELSA+EUROFAMCARE  N = 60 qualitative topic-guide based interviews in Germany, UK, Italy and Poland with working carers  Four national reports  International report  Guidelines, policy briefs (B) Enterprise Study  International literature review  Review of enterprise-level agreements on reconciliation  Identification examples of best practice  expert interviews in Germany, UK, Italy and Poland  Expert report on economic costs if no reconciliation  European Care Policy Report  Guidelines, policy briefs