Future of an Ageing Population

Future of an Ageing Population | A Central Role for Families
5.3 The changing role of women and an ageing population
Female employment rose from 53% in 1971 to 67% in 2013, and is projected to
continue rising 137 , driven by increasing female tertiary education, employmentoriented
family policies and rising housing costs 35 . The proportion of British
women aged 30-34 years who completed tertiary education increased from
33% in 2004 to 48% in 2013 138 . The changing role of women is taking place
in parallel to the ageing of the population. It is potentially a driver of ageing
– increasing female employment is occurring alongside a decline in fertility
rates 35 – but some of the most profound effects can be understood alongside
population ageing. For example, women’s mass entry into the labour market
has meant that the standard division of labour within families has changed.
The domestic, child and elder care work that used to be performed on an
unpaid basis by women, including care for frail older or disabled people, now
needs to be externalised. It can be either obtained from the state or bought on
the market.
Where there is no adequate formal care provision, women are generally
still expected to provide supplementary care. Although men are playing an
increasing role, there are continuing assumptions about women’s role as the
primary carers in a family 139 and daughters tend to be more heavily involved
than sons in providing care, domestic assistance and emotional support to
ageing parents. For such individuals, caring for ageing relatives may result
in a reduction in earnings and thus pension provision for their own later life,
increased stress and ill-health and inability to carry out their employment tasks
successfully 35,140 . Similarly, women who leave full-time employment to care for
young children are likely to have less financial resources in their own old age. In
addition lack of support from formal services may also impact upon the quality
of elder care provided. These problems are particularly pronounced for lone
mother families.
Policy Implication
Informal caring responsibilities currently predominantly fall on women.
This can have important negative consequences for women’s health,
wealth and wellbeing, with the full implications realised throughout the
life course. The ageing of the population is likely to increase the demands
for informal care, and other things being equal this will disproportionately
impact women.
P70