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Immigration and Adult Children's Care for Elderly Parents: Evidence from Western Europe

Author

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  • Berlanda, Andrea

    (University of Padua)

  • Lodigiani, Elisabetta

    (University of Padova)

  • Rocco, Lorenzo

    (University of Padova)

Abstract

In this paper, we use the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), complemented with register data on the share of the foreign population in the European regions, to examine the effects of migration on the level of informal care provided by children to their senior parents. Our main results show that migration decreases informal care among daughters with a university degree, while it increases the provision of informal care among daughters with low-to-medium levels of education. Viceversa, migration has practically no effect on sons' care provision who remain little involved in care activities. These results depend on the combination of two supply effects. First, migration increases the supply of domestic and personal services, making formal care more affordable and available. Second, as immigrants compete with low-to-medium-educated native workers, while improve the labor market opportunities of the better educated, the supply of informal care can increase among the less educated daughters and decrease among the more educated.

Suggested Citation

  • Berlanda, Andrea & Lodigiani, Elisabetta & Rocco, Lorenzo, 2025. "Immigration and Adult Children's Care for Elderly Parents: Evidence from Western Europe," IZA Discussion Papers 17984, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp17984
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Alesina, Alberto & Murard, Elie & Rapoport, Hillel, 2019. "Immigration and Preferences for Redistribution in Europe," IZA Discussion Papers 12130, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    2. David C. Grabowski & Jonathan Gruber & Brian McGarry, 2023. "Immigration, The Long-Term Care Workforce, and Elder Outcomes in the U.S," NBER Working Papers 30960, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    3. Card, David, 2001. "Immigrant Inflows, Native Outflows, and the Local Labor Market Impacts of Higher Immigration," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 19(1), pages 22-64, January.
    4. Eileen Rocard & Ana Llena-Nozal, 2022. "Supporting informal carers of older people: Policies to leave no carer behind," OECD Health Working Papers 140, OECD Publishing.
    5. Giuntella, Osea & Mazzonna, Fabrizio, 2015. "Do immigrants improve the health of natives?," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 140-153.
    6. Alberto Alesina & Elie Murard & Hillel Rapoport, 2021. "Immigration and preferences for redistribution in Europe1 [Goodbye Lenin (or not): the effect of communism on people’s preferences]," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 21(6), pages 925-954.
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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • F22 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - International Migration
    • J14 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of the Elderly; Economics of the Handicapped; Non-Labor Market Discrimination
    • J22 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Time Allocation and Labor Supply

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