Who’s more likely to take care of Mom and Dad as they age a daughter or a son? New research includes data from more than 26,000 people over the age of 50 who were involved in a health and retirement study in 2004. Among the discoveries: daughters were found to dedicate more than twice as much time to parent care compared to sons. Daughters provided on average 12.3 hours of care each month, while sons spent about 5.6 hours a month helping out. In sibling groups that contained a mix of males and females, gender was the most significant factor when looking at the level of assistance each person provided.

While the amount of time daughters spent caregiving was commonly influenced by their employment and childcare responsibilities, sons availability was often based on the presence or absence of other caregivers.

The study author warns gender inequality in caregiving could have negative consequences on the health and economic well-being of women and is calling for more research on the topic and public policy implications.
I’m Dr. Cindy Haines of HealthDay TV with the information you need to protect your health.

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