Aging, 33% of families have a member over 65 years old

2024-08-29 09:44:00, Aktualitet CNA

Aging, 33% of families have a member over 65 years old

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The percentage of households in Albania with elderly people (65+) exceeds those with young children (0-6 years old), indicating a greater prevalence of care responsibilities for the elderly.

Specifically, 32.9 percent of the population lives with an elderly adult aged 65 and over, compared to 11 percent who live with young children aged 0-6, notes the World Bank in a recent report on gender equality in our country.

The presence of the elderly in the family can increase the care for other family members, especially with the care of children, but meanwhile it will increase the needs for care of the third age.

According to the Life in Transition Survey (LITS), 10 percent of Albanian families require care for children and a similar percentage require care for the elderly.

In Albania, family members are the main source of care provision. Care needs are mostly met by other family members rather than institutions or care sources (such as nannies, relatives or friends). Although institutional care is most common for children aged 4-6 years (82 per cent), its use decreases for younger children (0-3 years) and the elderly (46 per cent and 22 per cent respectively). .

Among the most common reasons for not using childcare facilities is reliance on family members and concerns about the quality of service. In Albania, the model for grandparents to take care of their grandchildren still dominates. The quality of childcare services provided in Albania is (rated at 6.2) relatively similar to that of the EU (rated at 6.7).

On the other hand, access to long-term care for the elderly in Albania is limited, despite an increase in demand for this service. According to the International Labor Organization (ILO), 91 percent of Albanian elderly require long-term care, but less than 2 percent receive formal care. The COVID-19 pandemic has further intensified this issue, placing an additional burden on women in terms of unpaid care activities and domestic work.

The closure of schools and nurseries, together with the presence of elderly members at home during the pandemic, contributed to an increase in women's participation in unpaid care activities and household chores. Consequently, 76 percent of women reported increased time spent on unpaid work at home, compared to 66 percent of men.

Similarly, 72 percent of women reported increased time spent on unpaid care activities, compared to 62 percent of men.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, women remained the main contributors to household chores. A smaller percentage of women reported receiving support from their partners for housework than from men. Specifically, only 46 percent of women received support, compared to a higher figure of 67 percent of men.

Gender-based division of care responsibilities significantly affects women's economic participation in Albania. Social norms often dictate that women bear a disproportionate burden of care, limiting their ability to engage in paid work or working longer hours. Women's heavy unpaid care work leaves them poor, hindering their educational attainment, employment opportunities, etc./Monitor