Socio-Demographic Correlates of Unpaid Care in urban areas of Iran: Evidences from 2019-2020 Time Use Survey

The issue of family care or unpaid care has been investigated in internal studies primarily from the perspective of care received by the elderly, and no attempt has been made to identify the factors affecting the provision of this type of care and the characteristics of caregivers on a national level.This is a secondary analysis based on data from the 2019-2020 Iran’s Time Use Survey. The statistical population of the time-use survey includes all people aged 15 and older residing in urban households, and the data encompasses all daily activities as well as economic and social variables at the individual and household levels.The most prevalent type of care in the sample, according to the findings, was unpaid child care (73%), followed by adult care (18%) and sandwiched care (5%). Gender was the most influential factor on the quantity of time allocated to daily care; even after adjusting for other independent variables, women still spent more time than men caring for family members. However, this disparity is reduced in geriatric care. Child care provision peaks during childbearing years for both men and women and declines with age, so that adult care (most likely spouses) becomes the predominant form of care in old age.The low prevalence of sandwiched care and the pattern of inter-spouse adult care in the sample can be attributed to the relatively youthful population structure and the lack of intergenerational living arrangements in Iran’s urban areas. However, the significant gender disparity in child care appears to be one of the potential obstacles to the realization of the gender dividend in Iran. Given the economic significance of providing unpaid activities at the household level and the impact of socio-demographic dynamics on such activities, the findings of the present study can be utilized to enhance the existing body of knowledge and future policy formulation in this area.