Grant: Team Grant: More Years / Better Lives

With ageing populations, there is growing concern about how societies can best meet their caring responsibilities, which are highest for children and the elderly. They are met by combinations of informal care provided by family member, and formal care either privately purchased or from publicly-funded government programs. This research proposal compares the ways formal and informal care are provided in four countries - Spain, Austria, UK, and Canada. With careful cross-national comparative analysis, we can learn about alternative approaches to meeting caring responsibilities. A 2019 analysis for Canada showed that the increasing share of the population at higher ages combined with continuing increases in life expectancy and declines in fertility rates could create major tensions by 2050 for meeting their care needs. Still, the complement of population ageing is a decline in the proportion of children, giving rise to a what some are calling a "demographic dividend". But will a decline in caring responsibilities for children be able to offset increasing needs for formal and informal care for the elderly? The core of the research will build on detailed population surveys in each country, and extend current computer simulation models to project scenarios by which each country can meet its caring needs. Phrases like the "gray tsunami" and "demodoom" paint a very negative picture where the baby boom cohort impose heavy burdens on future working age cohorts. Thus, a central aspect of the analysis of both formal and informal care services will be an assessment of inter-generational equity. However, there is tremendous variation across individuals within each generation, so the analysis will also draw on the survey data and simulation models to assess intra-generational patterns of caring from a full life course perspective. The results will include new insights and actionable policy ideas on how best to meet Canada's caring responsibilities.