Care of elderly family members affects the welfare of the elderly and caregivers and has macroeconomic implications. In Eastern Europe, aging populations combined with under-developed care policy increase family care burdens, but the impact of care on labour force participation is understudied in this context. Using two waves of the Generations and Gender survey, we estimate the impact of care demand on paid employment in Bulgaria. We find that living with an elderly or disabled parent has a negative impact on employment for women and that this impact cannot be explained by reverse causality or unobserved individual characteristics. More developed care policy would benefit caregivers and would be likely to generate broader fiscal benefits.

照顾老年人家庭成员会影响老年人和照顾者的福利，并具有宏观经济影响。在东欧，人口老龄化加上欠发达的护理政策增加了家庭护理的负担，但是在这种情况下，对护理对劳动力参与的影响的研究还不够。通过两代人的调查，我们估计了护理需求对保加利亚有薪就业的影响。我们发现，与年老或残疾的父母同住对妇女的就业有负面影响，这种影响不能用反向因果关系或未观察到的个人特征来解释。更发达的护理政策将使护理人员受益，并可能产生更广泛的财政利益。