Balancing care and work for employees in Germany with family members abroad

Integration Department

Project head: Dr. David Schiefer

Mutual support, whether material or immaterial, is a central characteristic of family relationships. This applies in particular to intergenerational relationships, i.e. between parents and their children. Family care is always in tension with the demands and tasks of working life. In this context, experts emphasize the importance of both state and employer policies that enable relatives to balance care and employment and avoid financial and health risks.

However, scientific studies on the compatibility of care and work have so far primarily looked at employees with family members in need of care within Germany. This reflects national welfare regimes, which are usually based on an understanding of solidarity and care that primarily includes families (carers and those in need of care) who live within a national territory. In the meantime, however, family structures have changed enormously as a result of international migration. Many people in Germany have relatives abroad whom they support and care for. Given the increasing diversification of the population, the question therefore arises as to what extent state regulations, policies and institutions adequately cover the needs and challenges of this population group.

Against this background, the DeZIM-Institute is investigating work-care-balance in transnational families. The focus is on adult individuals in Germany who support or care for adult relatives living abroad. Based on data from the DeZIM.panel and SOEP, the scope of transnational support provided for family members abroad and the associated challenges of balancing care and work for relatives living in Germany are analyzed. Key areas of action in which care for family members abroad are regulated by the state are also reviewed, as well as existing support structures for people who have family members in need of support abroad. The results will be made available to the German Independent Advisory Board on Work-Care Reconciliation in the form of an expert report.

Funding: Federal Ministry for Education, Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (Third-party funding)