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A University of Michigan study estimates that U.S. women can expect to spend seven years of their lives caring for older adults, up from six in 2011. Men’s estimate remained at four years in 2023, leaving a three-year gap; the estimates cover family and friend care and are based on current rates holding into the future.
U.S. women can expect to spend seven years caring for older family members or friends over their lifetimes, compared with four years for men, according to a University of Michigan study published in 2026. The researchers estimate that women’s total rose from six years in 2011, while men’s remained steady, leaving a three-year gap in 2023.
The study, published in The Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, analyzed nearly 8,500 responses to the National Study of Caregiving alongside federal population data. It calculated lifetime estimates for U.S. adults aged 20 and older by combining caregiving information across age groups. The estimates describe how many years people might provide care if current rates continue into the future; they are not a record of each participant’s actual lifetime care.
Caregiving in the study includes help with personal care, household tasks, transportation and medical needs. The gender difference appeared across the kinds of assistance examined, according to the researchers. It also extended across several relationships: women were estimated to spend more than an additional year caring for a parent, several more months caring for a grandparent, and more than an additional year caring for extended family and friends.
The pattern differed for care within a couple. Men and women were estimated to spend about 1.5 years caring for a spouse or partner over their lifetimes. The study does not report that the overall gap has closed despite attention to men’s growing participation in caregiving.
The Unequal Years of Family Care
The estimates frame caregiving as a long-term commitment across the life course, rather than a brief responsibility captured in a survey at one point in time. A three-year difference in expected years of care can matter to people’s time, work and family responsibilities, although this study does not measure those consequences directly.
The findings also matter as demand for help grows. The researchers report that the number of family caregivers assisting U.S. adults aged 65 and older rose from 18 million in 2011 to more than 24 million in recent years. If more people need assistance while care remains unevenly distributed, families and services may face pressure to find additional support. The study documents the estimated difference; it does not establish why it occurs or quantify its effects on caregivers’ health, income or employment.
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How Researchers Estimated Lifetime Care
Many earlier studies have measured caregiving over short periods, such as a few months. The University of Michigan researchers instead used a demographic method to combine information from different age groups and estimate the years of care a person might provide over a lifetime. They compared estimates for 2011 and 2023, using survey responses and federal population data.
That approach makes the results a projection based on observed rates, not a forecast that accounts for every future change. The researchers note that the population of older adults without close family is growing, which could increase the need for support beyond immediate relatives. The report identifies this as a concern, but does not quantify how much care will come from friends, paid workers or other sources.
“Despite attention to the growing number of men taking on caregiving responsibilities, the gap in lifetime family caregiving has not closed between men and women in recent years.”
— Vicki Freedman, University of Michigan research professor and study co-author
What Could Change the Estimates
The lifetime figures assume current caregiving rates continue into the future; they are not a certainty about how much care any individual will provide. Future family size and relationships, access to affordable paid care, and social expectations could all affect who provides support, the researchers said.
The report also does not establish the causes of the gender gap or measure its consequences for caregivers’ finances, employment or health. Although the researchers warn that the difference may continue to grow as care needs rise and more older adults lack close kin, the study does not predict a specific future gap or timeline.
Future Care Patterns to Watch
The study does not announce a follow-up date or a policy change. The next developments will depend on how caregiving rates, older adults’ care needs, family networks and paid-care availability change. Updated surveys and population data could show whether the estimated gap widens, narrows or remains similar.
For now, the researchers’ comparison offers a baseline for tracking lifetime care: seven estimated years for women and four for men in 2023, with equal estimates for care of a spouse or partner. Those figures should be read as population-level projections, not individual predictions.
Key Questions
How many years of caregiving do women and men provide over a lifetime?
The study estimates seven years for women and four for men in 2023, assuming current caregiving rates continue into the future.
Did the caregiving gap change between 2011 and 2023?
Women’s estimate rose from six years in 2011 to seven in 2023. Men’s estimate stayed at four years, according to the study.
Is there a gender gap in care for spouses or partners?
The researchers estimated that women and men spend about 1.5 years caring for a spouse or partner over their lifetimes, an area where the overall difference did not appear.
How did researchers calculate lifetime caregiving?
Researchers analyzed nearly 8,500 National Study of Caregiving responses alongside federal population data, using information across age groups to estimate lifetime years of care for U.S. adults aged 20 and older.
Are the seven-year and four-year figures predictions for individuals?
No. They are population-level estimates based on current rates continuing, not guarantees about any one person’s future caregiving responsibilities.
Source: rss
