Women provide most unpaid care — and are more likely to bear health impacts: StatCan

According to Statistics Canada, there are more unpaid women caregivers than men, with 62 per cent of women caregivers feeling tired, compared with 48 per cent of men.

Women are providing more unpaid care in Canada and are more likely to struggle with mental and physical health problems as a result of caregiving than their male counterparts, according to data published by Statistics Canada on Tuesday.

The agency found about one-third of women (32 per cent) were looking after or providing unpaid care to children in 2022, and 23 per cent were providing unpaid care to adults with long-term conditions or disabilities.

Meanwhile, 26 per cent of men were providing unpaid care for children and 19 per cent were taking care of care-dependent adults.

In addition, six per cent of all those providing unpaid care are considered dual caregivers, caring for both children and care-dependent adults at the same time.

“Women were also more likely than men to feel worried or anxious, overwhelmed, short-tempered or irritable, and depressed due to their caregiving responsibilities,” the StatCan report reads.

Sixty-two per cent of women who provided care reported feeling tired, compared with 48 per cent of men, StatCan found.

Barb MacLean, the executive director of Family Caregivers of British Columbia, said family caregivers are “the invisible backbone of our health-care system.”

“As Canadian citizens, we don’t think enough about the role of care and from our families and from our friend networks,” said MacLean, adding that people should start thinking about how to help support their family and friends who are caregivers.