The social lives of carers in Australia
Benjamin Edwards, Daryl Higgins and Norbert Zmijewski
Australian Institute of Family Studies and the Australian Government Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs
Contact Email:   Ben.Edwardsaifs.gov.au

In Australia, 13% of people living in households were carers who provided some assistance to those who needed help because of disability or age (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2003). Although there are tremendous benefits to society as a result of providing care to relatives who have a disability, the impact of this on the family can be substantial. This paper compares the social lives of a representative sample of 1002 carers who receive government assistance to a sample from the general population. We use data from wave 4 of the HILDA survey for our sample from the general population and data from the Families Caring for a Person with a Disability Study. Carers were 1.46 times more likely than the general population to have low social contact with friends or relatives outside of the household (p < .001) even after controlling for a suite of demographic variables. More detailed analysis of demographic and caregiving variables associated with carers’ low social contact and wanting more social contact were also conducted. Carers who experienced more financial hardship and cared for a person with a disability with high care needs were more likely to have low social contact with friends and relatives outside of the household and, want more contact with these people.

Paper Download Information (if available):

Copyright © 2007 Social Policy Research Centre.