Trends in singlehood in young adulthood in Europe.

Cultural and economic shifts such as increasing individualization and labor market uncertainty may have resulted in an increase in singlehood after leaving home. Using data from the European Social Survey, we compare cohorts born between 1930 and 1989 in 30 European countries. We show that there has been an increase in singlehood after leaving home, but primarily among women.

The wage penalty for informal caregivers from a life course perspective.

Caring for a friend or family member in need of care has been found to have negative consequences for wages. This study contributes to the literature by studying how three major life course factors, namely timing of first caregiving, duration of caregiving, and the number of caregiving episodes, help to explain the (hourly) wage penalty for informal caregivers (i.e.

Socioeconomic differences in informal caregiving in Europe.

Disclosing socioeconomic differences in informal care provision is increasingly important in aging societies as it helps to identify the segments of the population that may need targeted support and the types of national investments to support family caregivers. This study examines the association between individual-level socioeconomic status and informal care provision within the household. We also examine the role of contextual factors, income inequality, and the generosity of social spending, to identify how macro-level socioeconomic resource structures shape individuals' provision of care to household members.

Testing the informal care model: intrapersonal change in care provision intensity during the first lockdown of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Informal care, meaning taking health-related care of people in their own social network, is a topic that gets more and more attention in social science research because the pressure on people to provide informal care is rising due to ageing societies and policy changes. The developed by Broese van Groenou and de Boer (Eur J Ageing 13(3):271-279, 2016) provides a theoretical foundation to understand under what conditions a person provides informal care. We test this theoretical model by applying it to intrapersonal changes in informal care provision during the first COVID-19 lockdown in the Netherlands in Spring 2020.

Are the gender gaps in informal caregiving intensity and burden closing due to the COVID-19 pandemic? Evidence from the Netherlands.

This research note presents the findings of changes in the gender gap in informal care provision and caregiver burden during the Spring 2020 COVID-19 lockdown in the Netherlands. Government measures in response to the pandemic strongly restricted informal caregivers in providing help and care to persons with health-related needs. At the same time, formal care was scaled back and informal caregivers' urge to help their loved ones was likely higher than before the pandemic.

Current and Expected Economic Hardship and Satisfaction With Family Life in Europe.

This study investigated how people's satisfaction with their family life is influenced by economic circumstances. Expectations were formulated that people who experienced or expected economic hardship would be less satisfied with their family life. Additionally, it was hypothesized that current and expected economic hardship would amplify each other's consequences on satisfaction, and that current and expected economic hardship was more harmful for people with children and when the rise of unemployment in a country was larger.

Positive and negative outcomes of informal caregiving at home and in institutionalised long-term care: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Our ageing society is putting tremendous strain on public health and welfare programs to meet the needs of ageing individuals. Promoting informal caregiving is one way for policymakers to reduce this burden. However, caregiving may be experienced as stressful and is associated with adverse health consequences.

How to understand informal caregiving patterns in Europe? The role of formal long-term care provisions and family care norms.

Aims: Motivated by ageing populations, healthcare policies increasingly emphasize the role of informal care. This study examines how prevalence rates of informal caregivers and intensive caregivers (i.e.

Social Policies and Families in Stress: Gender and Educational Differences in Work-Family Conflict from a European Perspective.

In modern welfare states, family policies may resolve the tension between employment and care-focused demands. However these policies sometimes have adverse consequences for distinct social groups. This study examined gender and educational differences in working parents' perceived work-family conflict and used a comparative approach to test whether family policies, in particular support for child care and leave from paid work, are capable of reducing work-family conflict as well as the gender and educational gaps in work-family conflict.

Explaining the Gender Gap in the Caregiving Burden of Partner Caregivers.

Objectives: We examine gender differences in the experienced burden of partner caregivers using the stress-appraisal model. Gender differences can be explained by differences in conditions of burden (primary stressors, help from others, hours of caregiving, and secondary stressors) and how strong their effects are.

Method: The data are from the Netherlands' Older Persons and Informal Caregivers Survey-Minimum Data Set (N = 1,611 caregivers).

Informal care in Europe: findings from the European Social Survey (2014) special module on the social determinants of health.

Background: Against the background of a rising demand for informal care in European societies, this study sets out to provide descriptive information by gender on (i) prevalence rates of (intensive) informal caregiving, (ii) characteristics of (intensive) informal caregivers and (iii) consequences of (intensive) informal caregiving in terms of mental well-being.

Results: On average, 34.3% of the population in 20 European countries were informal caregivers and 7.

Preferences for birth center care in the Netherlands: an exploration of ethnic differences.

Background: To examine the preferences for comprehensive services and facilities in a new proposed birth center which will be established in a large Dutch city, specifically among pregnant women from different ethnic backgrounds.

Methods: The analyses of this study were based on a survey among 200 pregnant women living in The Hague, the Netherlands in 2011. Multiple linear regression was applied to analyze if preferences differ by ethnic background, controlling for various other predictors.

Caregiving to Older Adults: Determinants of Informal Caregivers' Subjective Well-being and Formal and Informal Support as Alleviating Conditions.

Objectives: In response to concerns about the sustainability of health care systems that increasingly rely on informal care, we first investigate explanations of informal caregivers' subjective well-being: primary stressors (care-receivers' cognitive impairment, functional disability, and problem behavior), primary appraisal (hours of informal caregiving), and secondary appraisal (burden). Second, we investigate the extent that formal (professional home care) and informal support (from other caregivers/volunteers and from family/friends) alleviate well-being losses due to informal care provision. We modified the stress-appraisal model to explicitly include buffering effects of support.

Health and happiness among homosexual couples in Europe.

Data from five waves (2002-10) of the European Social Survey were examined to see the extent to which heterosexual and homosexual couples differ in their health and happiness. Homosexual people had lower levels of self-rated health and happiness. We suggest that those who experience discrimination are more strongly integrated in their gay community, which, in turn, may bring positive effects in terms of happiness due to a sense of belonging, but may be accompanied by the specific health risks associated with this community.

Occupational status of partnered gay men and lesbians in the Netherlands: How to explain the gap with men and women in heterosexual couples?

This study describes and explains the gap in occupational status between partnered homosexual and heterosexual (wo)men in the Netherlands. Thirteen waves of the Dutch Labor Force Surveys, including 875 partnered gay men and 901 partnered lesbians, have been analyzed with the Oaxaca decomposition method. Bivariate results show significantly higher occupational statuses among partnered gay compared to straight men and among partnered lesbian compared to straight women.

Subjective Well-Being by Partnership Status and Its Dependence on the Normative Climate.

This study first examines the relationship between partnership status and subjective well-being in 45 European countries by analyzing the European Values Study 2008. It was expected and empirically confirmed that married individuals have the highest level of well-being, followed by (in order) cohabiting, dating, single, and finally widowed and divorced individuals. In addition, this study examines to what extent the well-being gaps depend on the normative climate in which an individual lives.