Commentary: Burden of caring for ageing parents weighs heaviest on unmarried daughters
SINGAPORE: Unmarried women with no children are more likely than married women to provide care for parents ageing at home.
This was the cardinal finding in AWARE'south latest year-long research projection studying the touch on of family unit caregiving on caregivers' retirement adequacy in Singapore.
This surprised united states of america. Nosotros did non set out to interview unmarried women, simply were interested in family unit members caring for ageing parents while living with them. Yet nigh of the 22 women we interviewed turned out to be single.
What we have since also discovered is that this trend is by no ways unique to Singapore. Women make up vast numbers of caregivers all around the world.
Research in the US has found that unmarried daughters, daughters who live close to their parents, unemployed daughters and daughters without siblings are all much more likely to be parental caregivers.
Why is this so? Most caregivers we interviewed reported feeling like they had no choice but to assume the role considering of their gender and unmarried condition.
When asked why she was a caregiver, one of our respondents, Xin Yi* (aged 54), best summed it up: "Considering I am single, and I am a woman."
Although most had more than three siblings (but 1 was an only child), their brothers and sisters were non assigned caregiving responsibilities because they had their own children to wait afterward.
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At get-go sight, information technology may seem similar a sensible division of labour for filial caregiving responsibilities to fall on the sibling with the fewest family responsibilities. Afterwards all, she doesn't have many demands for her fourth dimension - not to mention her income.
But might this arroyo exist short-sighted? Perhaps nosotros should besides take into account each private'south likelihood of having time to come caregiving support - i.east. whether or not she has a family to support her in old age, as eldercare drains her of her own savings.
IMPACT ON A CAREGIVER'S RETIREMENT Capability
AWARE's study focused on the bear on of caregiving on four retirement factors: Employment, income, expenses and wealth.
Overall, we found that caregiving responsibilities compromise a caregiver's ability to continue working. This also impacts her disposable income, as respondents with employment changes suffered a 63 per cent average loss in income, while out-of-pocket care-related expenses can balloon to more than a 3rd of her monthly household income after subsidies.
Most of our respondents either reduced the number of hours they worked or stopped working entirely.
At that place are no specific national-level numbers of people who have reduced their work hours considering of caregiving - merely the 2022 Labour Force Survey found that 75,800 women accept quit work entirely to intendance for older relatives.
Why is caregiving and then incompatible with work? It comes down to 3 primary reasons. Showtime, the need to provide frequent supervision, especially for seniors prone to fainting spells or sudden falls.
2d, the poor and unpredictable wellness of seniors who demand care, who typically require immediate attention and emergency infirmary admissions.
Third, the temperamental nature of care recipients with dementia.
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Some respondents tried to manage these challenges and juggle work commitments by hiring foreign domestic workers (FDWs).
Yet they constitute that many caregiving responsibilities, such as emotional care, went beyond what a FDW could provide. Additional support from siblings was also often unreliable and limited.
CARING FOR OTHERS VERSUS SAVING FOR YOUR OLD Historic period
Singapore's final known quantitative study on informal caregiving, conducted in 2011, found that most family caregivers of seniors over 75 were aged 45 to 59 - the historic period when almost people are edifice savings for their retirement.
Every bit women are expected to live well into their mid-80s, how will they afford care in their old age if they cannot salvage for themselves at midlife?
According to CPF statistics, well-nigh iv in 10 active CPF members who turned 55 in 2022 did not hit the Bones Retirement Sum (BRS) of S$83,000 in their retirement accounts. Women outnumbered men in this category.
At that place has been no pregnant improvement on this front end: The percentage difference betwixt men and women achieving BRS has stayed roughly the same over the last three years.
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What'south more, this information only includes active CPF members – employed workers who have received a contribution to their CPF accounts in the last three months.
However, caregivers spend a median of nine years outside the labour forcefulness providing care to their families, not earning an income or receiving whatsoever CPF contributions, co-ordinate to a Parliament Reply by Manpower Minister Josephine Teo. At that place is no retirement savings data on this group to begin with.
Caregivers with spouses and children tin accept comfort that even if they cannot afford their own care in onetime age, they can plow to immediate family members.
Wai Ching*, a respondent of ours who cares for a mother with dementia, does not have that pick.
"My mum is fortunate … she notwithstanding has children," Wai Ching told united states of america in her interview. "I will not be and then fortunate."
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Wai Ching's situation volition be increasingly more common. There were 87,500 single women betwixt the ages of 40 to 59 years in 2017, Singapore's annual Population in Brief revealed. Even more than are staying single across all historic period groups compared to a decade agone.
It's a sad irony that caregivers like her, who enable their parents to historic period in the comfort of their homes, are much more likely to stop up ageing with groovy difficulty.
Make Intendance EASIER
Family caregiving is a mucilage that holds family units together. Caregivers put the needs of their loved ones first, oft to the neglect of their ain well-being. They deserve more than.
Earlier this year, the Government appear some plans to enhance caregiver support. These include expanded respite care options and support networks, and a monthly Home Caregiving Grant of Due south$200 (applications for which will open side by side month). All this represents a welcome stride forrard. Yet care is an effect that calls for bigger strides.
Today, there are no statutory requirements for companies to provide family intendance leave, though government initiatives encourage employers to offer unpaid caregiving leave.
This is important, but leaves the fiscal burden of caring on the shoulders of caregivers.
The Authorities likewise provides financial incentives to companies to offer flexible work arrangements to help caregivers remainder piece of work and caregiving responsibilities. Although a crucial first footstep, in our culture of presenteeism and emphasis on face up time, many employers nonetheless base worker appraisals on their physical presence in the role.
Finally, the various measures in place to commencement care-related expenses practice not recoup caregivers for the loss in income and retirement savings that often accompanies the provision of care.
Every bit an ageing population that will rely heavily on caregivers, information technology is worth reviewing providing stronger financial support for caregiving, including paid eldercare get out, a statutory right to flexible work arrangements, and caregivers' support grant with cash and CPF contributions.
This tertiary mensurate, arguably the well-nigh critical, would offset out-of-pocket expenses and help caregivers build retirement adequacy while caring for others.
READ: Commentary: 3 stories from caregivers prove nosotros yet undervalue caregiving
These actions would aid all caregivers to older persons - male or female, married or unmarried. Merely they would go furthest to boost single, female caregivers' chances to age with dignity and comfort.
Allow's ensure that the good daughters of today practice not become the impoverished elderly of tomorrow.
*The names used in this commentary are pseudonyms.
Shailey Hingorani is Caput of Research and Advocacy, AWARE. AWARE will be holding Make Care Count ... in the National Upkeep at NVPC on Oct five, an event where the public tin suggest care-related recommendations for Aware to submit to the 2022 Singapore Budget.
Source: https://cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/commentary/caregiving-grant-burden-elderly-single-unmarried-daughters-229636
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