New publication out - Informal Care and Work-Family Interface

Kunz, C. & Bertogg, A. (2026). Transitioning into Informal Care During Working Age: Longitudinal Evidence on the Work–Family Interface Among Employees in Germany. Journal of Family and Economic Issues. Online first. Link to study: https://rdcu.be/XZCu51WbwPE

🔎 Research question: How does transitioning into informal caregiving affect the work–family interface — and does this association differ by the direction of spillover (family-to-work vs. work-to-family) and caregiving intensity?

📊 Data & method: Using longitudinal data from the BAuA Working Time Survey, the study combines difference-in-differences with propensity-score matching (DiD-PSM) to examine changes associated with transitioning into occasional and frequent informal caregiving.

🔄 Family → work: Transitioning into occasional or frequent caregiving significantly increases family–work conflict, but not work–family conflict.

📈 Caregiving intensity matters: The increase in family–work conflict is larger among those transitioning into frequent rather than occasional caregiving.

💡 Relevance and Insight: As population ageing increases the need for informal care, more employed people are likely to combine paid work and caregiving. Our findings show that both the direction of spillover and caregiving intensity matter for understanding these challenges.