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A University of Michigan study estimates that U.S. women can expect to spend seven years of their lives caring for aging relatives or friends, compared with four years for men. The gap increased from two years in 2011 to three years in 2023, while expected years caring for a spouse or partner were similar.
Women in the United States can expect to spend seven years of their lives caring for aging relatives or friends, compared with four years for men, according to a University of Michigan study published in 2026. The estimates, which compare caregiving patterns in 2011 and 2023, indicate that the lifetime gap widened even as more men took on care responsibilities.
The researchers, Vicki Freedman and Crystal Yee To Ng, used nearly 8,500 responses from the National Study of Caregiving alongside federal population data. Their demographic method combines information across age groups to estimate how many years adults aged 20 and older may spend caring for older people over a lifetime, assuming current rates continue. The study was published in The Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences.
In 2011, women’s estimated lifetime caregiving totaled six years, while men’s totaled four. By 2023, the estimate for women had increased to seven years; men’s remained at four. Caregiving in the study includes tasks such as personal care, household chores, transportation and medical assistance.
The disparity did not apply to care for a spouse or partner: men and women were each estimated to spend about 1.5 lifetime years providing that care. Women were estimated to spend more than an additional year caring for a parent, several more months caring for a grandparent, and more than an additional year caring for extended family and friends. The researchers reported a gender gap across the types of assistance they examined, including help with bathing or dressing and providing rides.
How the Caregiving Gap Affects Families
The estimates suggest that care for older adults is distributed unevenly across a lifetime, with women spending more years providing support beyond their own partners. That difference can shape how families allocate time and responsibilities, particularly when care involves recurring daily tasks or help with medical needs. The study quantifies years of expected care, but it does not measure the financial, employment or health effects on individual caregivers.
The findings also matter as the number of people providing family care has grown. The report says the number of family caregivers assisting U.S. adults aged 65 and older rose from 18 million in 2011 to more than 24 million in recent years. At the same time, the researchers point to increasing numbers of older adults without close family, which may increase demand for help beyond immediate kin.
The study does not establish why women provide more years of care or predict what any particular household will experience. Its lifetime estimates describe patterns across the population, rather than the care burden on every woman or man. Still, the results provide a longer view than surveys that capture caregiving over only a few months.
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A Lifetime View of Family Care
Many earlier studies have measured caregiving over short periods, offering a snapshot of who was providing help at a particular time. Freedman and Ng instead used a demographic approach to bring observations from different age groups together and estimate total years of care over a lifetime. The result is a population-level estimate, not a record following the same individuals throughout their lives.
The researchers’ comparison covers 2011 and 2023. Women’s estimate rose by one year over that period, while men’s stayed at four years, changing the estimated difference from two years to three. The study’s projection depends on the assumption that current caregiving rates hold into the future; it does not guarantee that adults will experience exactly those totals.
Caregiving can include practical support at home as well as assistance with personal care and medical tasks. The report’s findings distinguish care for spouses and partners from care for parents, grandparents, other relatives and friends, showing that the overall gap is not evenly present across every relationship.
“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, research professor at the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research
Limits of the Lifetime Estimates
The estimates are based on a model combining survey responses and population data; they are not observed totals for a group followed from adulthood to the end of life. The projection assumes current rates continue into the future, and future caregiving patterns may change. The report identifies family change, the availability and affordability of paid care, and social norms as factors that could affect who provides support.
The findings do not explain the causes of the gender difference, quantify the hours or intensity of care, or establish how caregiving affects caregivers’ finances, work or health. It is also not clear from the reported estimates how changes in older adults’ access to close relatives will alter the lifetime totals. Those questions require evidence beyond the headline estimates.
Factors That Could Shift Care Patterns
The study does not announce a new program or policy, and it does not set out a specific follow-up milestone. The next question is whether the estimated gap persists as the population ages and family caregiving needs change. Tracking future survey data would help show whether women’s estimated lifetime years continue to rise, whether men’s estimates change, and how care for people outside immediate family develops.
Freedman said future patterns will depend in part on family composition, the cost and availability of paid care, and social norms around caregiving. The report also points to the growing number of older adults without close kin. How those factors interact remains uncertain; the 2023 estimates describe observed rates used for a lifetime projection, not a forecast of a fixed outcome.
Key Questions
How many lifetime years of care did the study estimate for women and men?
The study estimated seven years for women and four years for men in 2023. These are population-level lifetime estimates based on current rates, not a guarantee for an individual.
Did the gap also apply to care for a spouse or partner?
No. Men and women were each estimated to spend about 1.5 lifetime years caring for a husband, wife or partner. The difference appeared in other relationships, including care for parents, grandparents, extended family and friends.
How did researchers calculate lifetime caregiving?
Researchers analyzed nearly 8,500 National Study of Caregiving responses with federal population data. They used a demographic method to estimate lifetime years from caregiving rates across age groups, assuming those rates hold into the future.
What could change future caregiving patterns?
The researchers cite changes to family structures, the availability and affordability of paid care, and social norms as possible influences. The effects of those factors on future lifetime estimates remain uncertain.
Source: rss
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