Pressures on informal carers - Carers Rights Day 2025

On Carers Rights Day 2025, we report on research from the ESRC Centre for Population Change and Connecting Generations (CPC-CG) which has uncovered the growing financial and employment pressures on informal carers and the urgent need for better recognition, support and planning.

This year, Carers Rights Day is on Thursday 20 November and the theme is 'Know your rights, use your rights', designed to make sure more carers are aware of their rights and feel empowered to use them. Every day, 12,000 people become unpaid carers for a partner, family member or a friend, often not seeing themselves as carers and unaware of their rights or available support and benefits. Today, CPC-CG joins Carers UK and organisations from across the country in raising awareness of the rights, entitlements and wider support available for unpaid carers.

While the demand for informal caregiving is increasing, many individuals remain unprepared for their future long-term care needs, and policies aimed at promoting workforce participation are clashing with the realities of caregiving responsibilities. The findings from several recent CPC-CG studies by Professor Evandrou and Professor Falkingham with Dr Min Qin and Professor Athina Vlachantoni reveal a widening gap in long-term care preparedness, the incompatibility of social care cuts with longer working lives, and the disproportionate impact on lone parents and women.

Commenting on the research to mark Carers Rights Day 2025, Professor Falkingham said: “On Carers Rights Day, we recognise the vital role unpaid carers play across the UK, often at great personal cost. Every day, thousands of people take on caring responsibilities, many without realising it and far too many without knowing their rights.

"Our research at the ESRC Centre for Population Change and Connecting Generations shows the growing pressure carers face, from lone parents supporting both children and ageing relatives to midlife women forced to cut back on work due to the dual demands of employment and care. The system places increasing expectations on individuals, leaving many isolated and unsupported. Carers should never have to choose between their livelihoods and their responsibilities. Rights such as carers’ leave, flexible working and access to carers’ assessments are essential protections, not privileges. Understanding and using these rights is crucial to supporting our ageing population and building a fairer, more sustainable care system in the UK.”

Research overview

Research on financial planning for future long-term care needs, based on data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, has found that many mid-life and older adults underestimate their future care needs and associated costs, with those in lower socio-economic groups particularly likely to lack financial preparedness. Low expectations of needing long-term care were associated with being older, renting a home, and having lower incomes; characteristics that are also linked to an increased likelihood of requiring care. The research suggests that inadequate knowledge of the social care system and financial constraints contribute to insufficient personal planning for care in later life, deepening inequalities in access to support.

At the same time, policies encouraging older adults to remain in employment, such as the UK’s ‘50 PLUS Choices’, are in direct conflict with the rising reliance on informal carers to provide social care. Research using the UK Household Longitudinal Study has found that informal caregiving responsibilities significantly reduce employment participation, particularly for those providing intensive care (20+ hours per week). The findings indicate that older working carers face an increasing struggle to balance employment and care responsibilities, particularly as cuts to public funding for adult social care continue to shift the burden onto families.

One of the most affected groups is lone parents, who are increasingly caught in the "sandwich generation", providing care for both elderly parents and dependent children. Research tracking caregiving patterns over time, using data from the General Household Survey (1990 and 2000) and Understanding Society (2010 and 2020), found that lone parents are significantly more likely to provide intensive care than those in couple households, often at the cost of full-time employment. Changes to welfare policies, including stricter work requirements under Universal Credit, have placed additional financial pressures on lone parents who cannot work due to caregiving demands. These findings raise concerns about the sustainability of policies that tie benefits to employment without providing adequate support for those in dual caregiving roles.

Gender disparities in informal caregiving have also widened over time, particularly in mid-life. Using a sample of adults aged 35-89 living in Great Britain from the General Household Survey (1985-2000), the British Household Panel Survey (2005), and the UK Household Longitudinal Study (2010-2020), a study on gender, cohort, and life stage differences in caregiving has shown that women remain the primary providers of care across all age groups. The gender gap in parental and intensive caregiving has been increasing, with women in mid-life particularly affected, juggling employment, child-rearing, and elder care responsibilities. Additionally, the study team have found that health challenges can exacerbate inequalities for women in mid-life, finding that severe menopausal symptoms are linked to higher rates of reduced working hours or leaving employment, further limiting women's career progression and financial security.

Carers UK state: “As a carer, knowing your rights empowers you with information about what you’re entitled to. This helps you feel confident asking for what you need, as well as challenging things when your rights are not being met – whether that be in the workplace or education, in accessing health or social care, or when interacting with other professionals or at home.”

Watch Professor Falkingham deliver her message of support for Carers Rights Day 2025:



Find out more about carers' rights and get involved in Carers Rights Day at https://go.carersuk.org/CRD


Further reading

Written evidence on adult social care reform: The cost of inaction (Health and Social Care Committee Written Evidence)

Personal planning for future long-term care among mid-age and old adults in England: The role of expectations (CPC-CG Working Paper 110)

Delivering ‘50 PLUS Choices’ in the UK: how compatible are ‘fuller working lives’ with an increasing reliance on informal carers to deliver social care? (Journal of Social Policy)

Lone parents: The invisible “Sandwich Generation” (CPC-CG Working Paper 79)

Social care provision in Great Britain: Exploring gender, cohort, and life stage differences (CPC-CG Policy Briefing 78)

Menopausal transition and change in employment: Evidence from the National Child Development Study (Maturitas)

Menopause and money: Why financial planning is important (Brewin Dolphin)

Measuring unmet need for social care among older persons (University of Southampton Research Highlights)

Old age pension or old age poverty - addressing inequalities in the pension system (Re:action Magazine)


Contact details

Please contact cpc@soton.ac.uk if you would like to arrange an interview with the study team.

Posted 13/11/2025 13:46