Partner Care Arrangements and Well-Being in Mid- and Later Life: The Role of Gender Across Care Contexts

Objectives We assess gender moderation in the association between partner care arrangements and individuals' well-being, and the extent to which gender differences vary across European care contexts. Methods We use 2015 data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe for 3,465 couples aged 50+, where at least 1 partner receives care. We assess gender differences in individuals' life satisfaction and depressive symptoms across 5 partner care arrangements: solo-; shared formal; shared informal; outsourced formal; and outsourced informal care. We explore heterogeneity in the gendered associations across 4 care contexts: Northern, Western, Southern, and Eastern Europe. Results Sharing care with formal providers is associated with lower well-being among women than men, with a significant well-being "penalty" among Southern European women with partners in shared formal care. Outsourcing partner care to informal providers is associated with higher well-being than other care arrangements for men across care contexts, but with lower well-being for women in Southern Europe. Discussion Policies to support caregivers' well-being need to be sensitive to the coordination of formal and informal caregiving support for men and women in their respective care contexts.