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A University of Michigan study estimates that U.S. women can expect to spend seven years providing care to older adults over their lifetimes, compared with four years for men. The gap has widened since 2011, while estimated years spent caring for a spouse or partner are similar for women and men.
Women in the United States can expect to spend seven years over their lifetimes caring for an aging family member or friend, compared with four years for men, according to a University of Michigan study published in 2026. The estimates show the gender gap widened since 2011, when women’s expected caregiving time was six years and men’s was also four.
Researchers Vicki Freedman and Crystal Yee To Ng used nearly 8,500 responses to the National Study of Caregiving, alongside federal population data, to estimate how many years U.S. adults aged 20 and older might provide care to older adults over a lifetime. Their study, published in The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, reports estimates for 2011 and 2023. The calculations describe what people could expect if current rates continue; they are not a forecast of any individual’s future caregiving.
The difference was not present in every relationship. Women and men were estimated to spend about 1.5 years caring for a spouse or partner. Women were estimated to provide more than an additional year of care to a parent, several more months to a grandparent, and more than an extra year to extended family members and friends. The researchers also found the difference across types of assistance, including personal care, household tasks, transportation and medical tasks.
The report puts these estimates against a growing number of family caregivers. It says the number of people helping U.S. adults aged 65 and older rose from 18 million in 2011 to more than 24 million in recent years. Those counts are separate from the lifetime estimates: they describe the number of caregivers at particular points, not years of care over a lifetime.
The Unequal Time Behind Family Care
The estimates describe a long-term difference in who provides support as older adults need help with daily life. Several additional years of caregiving can affect how much time women have for paid work, rest and other responsibilities, although this study does not measure those effects or establish what causes them. Its findings show that the disparity extends beyond care for parents to other relatives and friends.
The increase in the number of family caregivers also matters as the population ages. If more older adults need assistance while fewer have close relatives available, communities and care systems may face greater demand for support beyond immediate family networks. The study does not calculate future demand or the costs of meeting it, but its authors identify both as relevant to how caregiving patterns may change.
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How Researchers Estimated Lifetime Care
Many studies of caregiving capture a short period, such as several months. Freedman and Ng instead combined caregiving information across age groups with population data to estimate the number of years a person might provide care over a lifetime. This demographic approach helps compare women’s and men’s expected time in caregiving, but it relies on rates observed in the study years continuing into the future.
The report focuses on unpaid care for older adults provided by family members or friends. It does not mean every woman will provide seven years of care, nor does it say that all care is provided by women. The estimates summarize differences across the population and include multiple relationships and kinds of assistance.
“Despite attention to the growing number of men taking on caregiving responsibilities, the gap in lifetime family caregiving has not closed between men and women in recent years.”
— Vicki Freedman, University of Michigan research professor
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What Could Change These Estimates
The lifetime figures are estimates based on observed rates and the assumption that those rates hold into the future. They do not show how much care any particular person will provide, and the study does not establish why women’s estimated caregiving time is higher. The report points to family structure, access to affordable paid care and social norms as factors that could alter future patterns.
The source material does not provide detailed breakdowns of how caregiving differs by income, race, geography or employment status, or how unpaid care affects caregivers’ health and finances. It also describes the increase to more than 24 million caregivers as occurring in recent years without specifying a single year for that count.
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Future Care Needs and Family Support
The study does not announce a policy change or a specific follow-up deadline. The next issue raised by its findings is whether the widening gender difference persists as the population ages and more people need support. Researchers say future patterns will depend partly on changes in family networks and the availability and cost of paid care.
Further data on who provides care, how many hours they give and what support they can access could clarify how the lifetime estimates translate into day-to-day demands. For now, the study offers a population-level comparison for 2011 and 2023, while leaving the causes of the gap and its future course open.
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Key Questions
How many years of caregiving do women and men expect to provide?
The study estimates seven lifetime years for women and four for men caring for older adults, based on 2023 rates continuing into the future.
Did the gap grow compared with 2011?
Yes. The estimate for women rose from six years in 2011 to seven in 2023. Men’s estimate remained at four years in both periods.
Is the difference the same for caring for a spouse?
No. Women and men were estimated to spend about 1.5 years caring for a spouse or partner. The study found larger differences for care provided to parents, grandparents, extended family and friends.
How did the researchers calculate lifetime caregiving?
Researchers combined nearly 8,500 National Study of Caregiving responses with federal population data to estimate lifetime years for U.S. adults aged 20 and older. The result is a population estimate, not a prediction for an individual.
Does the study explain why women provide more care?
No. It documents the difference but does not establish its causes. The researchers say future patterns may be affected by family changes, the availability and affordability of paid care, and social norms.
Source: rss
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