Do you want to avoid the hassle of traveling with your printed poster? IAPHS2026 is pleased to make poster printing available to you through our supplier PosterSessionOnline. Your poster will be professionally reviewed, printed and shipped directly to Portland and you will be able to pick it up from the Poster desk. Click here to learn more.
Primary Submission Category: Aging
How Much Longer Will We Care? Kinship Care Life Expectanacy of U.S. Women by Race/Ethnicity
Authors: Onyekachukwu Arah,
Presenting Author: Onyekachukwu Arah*
Background: Over 63 million adults in the United States provide assistance in activities of daily living for adults or children with a disability. Kinship caregiving is strongly related to demographic processes including fertility, morbidity, and longevity. Care work, which is prevalent among women – especially Black and Hispanic women – impacts caregiver health, family relationships, and the labor market. No known studies investigate Care Life Expectancy, or the number of years and proportion of adult life that people will spend as caregivers, in the United States and how this may vary by race/ethnicity. My research asks: Do Black and white women differ in (a) Care Life Expectancy, (b) care life duration, (c) care intensity, and (d) care schedule?
Data and Methods: Using data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, I identify women who care for a friend or relative with a health problem or disability. I operationalize care duration as the length of time spent as caregivers and care intensity as the number of hours spent caregiving each week. I employ National Vital Statistics System life tables to approximate the number of person-years spent in the caregiving state for five-year age groups ranging from 18-80+, adjusting for mortality. I will use Sullivan’s method to calculate average Care Life Expectancy for the entire sample and for Black, Hispanic, and white women.
Expected Results: Generally, I expect Black and Hispanic women to have above-average Care Life Expectancy. Preliminary analyses of 2024 data reveal that Black women (9%) make up 18% of caregivers aged 35-39 and a disproportionate share of those who have been caregivers for five years or more. Hispanic women (6%) make up 18% of caregivers aged 25-29. Both groups are overrepresented among full-time caregivers. This study can elucidate cultural care traditions; disparate care needs across racial groups; and the social, health, and economic implications of caregiving over the life course.