Access to employer-provided paid leave and eldercare provision for older workers

Abstract

ABSTRACT Paid leave for family and medical reasons is an important workplace benefit for older workers with eldercare responsibilities by offering time off from work to deal with the need for caregiving, but little is known about its effects on eldercare provision. I study the association between employer-provided paid leave and eldercare provision among workers aged 45 or over, using the 2011 and 2017–18 American Time Use Survey and its Leave Modules. Among various types of leave, paid leave for eldercare was the only type of leave associated with an increase in any care provision by six percentage points. The positive relationship was stronger for care provided less than daily than care provided daily. The significant, but small, increase in care provision associated with paid leave for eldercare suggests the role of paid leave in facilitating care for older adults among middle- and old-aged workers.