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In this 'Debates and issues' article, we want to highlight: the issue of a lack of male informal carers; the underlying reasons for it, such as stereotypes, socialisation and representations; and the implications for society, for example, gender inequality and the growing need for informal carers due to shifting demographics in Western societies. In our opinion, there is a lack of research on men in (informal) care work and too little conversation on the reasons why, for example, toxic masculinities, the lack of role models and the neglect of the care sector by policymakers.

AbstractTo promote long-term care policies for older adults, accurate mapping of the often invisible and insufficiently recognized role of their informal caregivers is needed. This paper measures the prevalence of informal caregivers in the European population, illustrates current difficulties in gathering unequivocal information on this topic and deals with the scientific and policy implications of the problem. Using the European Health Interview Survey (EHIS), the European Quality of Life Survey (EQLS) and the Study on Health and Ageing in Europe (SHARE), the current difficulties in gathering unequivocal information on this topic are illustrated. In most countries, the share of informal caregivers varies, sometimes markedly, among the three surveys. As for the sex of caregivers, while confirming the well-known higher prevalence of caregivers among women than among men, large variations emerge across the three surveys in most countries in respect of the two sexes. The takeaway message of the paper is that it is urgent to promote international concerted action in gathering comprehensive informal caregiving information and/or exploring in greater depth the different intercultural understandings of informal care itself.

In dem Beitrag werden die Ergebnisse einer Online-Umfrage informeller Pflegepersonen in Europa vorgestellt. Ziel dieser Studie, die von Eurocarers in Zusammenarbeit mit dem italienischen National Institute of Health and Science on Ageing (INRCA IRCCS) gefördert wurde, war es zu analysieren, wie sich der Covid-19-Ausbruch auf die Bedingungen informeller Pflegekräfte auswirkte, und die Wünsche dieser Pflegepersonen hinsichtlich einer besseren Unterstützung in Pandemiezeiten zu erheben. Die Gelegenheitsstichprobe umfasste 2468 Betreuer aus 17 Ländern, wobei die meisten Befragten aus Tschechien, Estland, Finnland, Deutschland, Italien, Portugal und Schweden antworteten. Aus den Ergebnissen können Handlungsempfehlungen in verschiedenen Bereichen abgeleitet werden: ein ausgewogener Zugang von pflegenden Angehörigen zum Arbeitsmarkt (z. B. durch Anerkennung ihrer Betreuungskompetenzen) ; Stärkung der Strategien zur Vereinbarkeit von Beruf und Privatleben ; Sicherstellung von Rentengutschriften auf der Grundlage von Pflegezeiten ; Förderung integrierter Dienste und Informationen ; Einbindung informeller Pflegekräfte als Mitgestalter von Fördermaßnahmen, auch durch nutzerfreundliche digitale Lösungen.

AbstractDuring the COVID-19 outbreak, the care services interruption/delay resulted in increased amount of care for informal caregivers of older people with long-term care needs. This study aimed at understanding how the Pandemic affected physical health, mental well-being and quality of life of older people' informal caregivers of different ages and to what extent starting caregiving affected such life realms among new caregivers. An online survey was carried out in Winter 2020–2021 targeted to informal caregivers living in 16 European countries. A sub-sample of 848 adult (aged 18–64) was compared to another of 542 older (over 65) informal caregivers. People who started caring during the Pandemic were also identified and the impact of the Pandemic on the three life realms of this group were analysed separately by gender and age. The differences between the two groups of adult and older caregivers were estimated using logistic regression, adjusted for potential confounders. Analyses were repeated after propensity score matching. During the second Pandemic wave hitting Europe in Winter 2020-21, regardless of age, being female entailed a worsening in physical health, mental well-being and quality of life, in line with previous research Also new caregivers were mostly females and their physical health and quality of life were worsened by caregiving. Gender-specific work-life balance policies and measures are needed to support female working caregivers. More attention should be paid to older female caregivers through scheduled physical and mental health screenings and home visits. Future studies on the topic in a gender and intergenerational perspective are encouraged.