This document summarizes research on changing family structures and intergenerational transfers of time and money within families. As lifespans increase and fertility rates decline, populations are aging with fewer children to support older generations. The research examines the time and money older Australians provide to and receive from different generations, and finds that over 60% of those over 50 provide an average of 7 hours per week of practical support to family. This unpaid care work is valued at $36 billion annually, comparable to sectors like mining and retail. Factors like gender, income, and family type influence the amount of intergenerational support exchanged.

1. Changing Family Structures
and Intergenerational
Transfers of Time and Money
within Families
Helen Feist PhD | Deputy Director
Australian Population and Migration Research Centre,
University of Adelaide
helen.feist@adelaide.edu.au
www.adelaide.edu.au/apmrc

2. Intergenerational Family Transfers
• Intergenerational familial support as social
insurance
• Assistance can take many forms
• Changing societies, changing families and
ageing populations are influencing the
nature of family support between
generations
• Growing number of seniors now and into
the future often seen as an economic and
service burden…but what is the reality?
Life Impact | The University of Adelaide

3. Changing Population and Family
Structures Declining Fertility rate +
•
increasing life expectancy
Proportion of Australian Population Aged Under 15
years and 65 years +, from 1901 to 2006 means more older people,
40 fewer younger people
35
< 15 years 65+ years • The rise in the proportion
30 of the older population is
also indicative of a rise in
25
lone person households in
Percent
20 coming years
15 • Smaller families mean
10
fewer sources of support
for older people,
5
particularly those living
0 alone
1901 1921 1931 1971 1991 1996 2001 2006
Life Impact | The University of Adelaide

4. Outline of the Research
• How much time is given to, and received from, different
generations by older people and what is the economic value of
this?
• What demographic and socio-economic attributes influence the
transfers of time and money between generations?
• How much money is given to, and received from, different
generations by older people?
• What motivates the older generation to make time and/or money
transfers?
• What are transfers used for by the younger generation?
• Are time and money substituted for each other and what
influences the substitution?
Life Impact | The University of Adelaide

5. Respondent Family Typologies
NoKPS: PANKS: PAKS: KANPS:
No Kids or Parents Parents and No Parents and Kids, Kids and No
Kids or the ‘sandwich Parents
generation’
NoKPS
4%
PAKS
KANPS 44%
47%
PANKS Life Impact | The University of Adelaide
5%

6. Age/Gender of actual sample and
weighted sample
25
Males
W Males
20
Females
15 W Females
Percent
10
5
0
50-54 55-59 60-64 65-69 70-74 75-79 80-84 85+
Age
Life Impact | The University of Adelaide

7. Respondent Household Structures
140
50-54
120
65-79
100 80+
80
60
40
20
0
Children A step or A sole parent Shared care Adult living Adult living Related Unrelated
living with blended family parenting alone with partner adults living adults living
parents family and no together together
children
Life Impact | The University of Adelaide

8. Giving and receiving practical help
• 61% provide practical help to family members
Median amount given,
5 hours/week/household
• 30% receive practical help from family members
Median amount received,
5 hours/week/household
Life Impact | The University of Adelaide

9. Giving or Receiving Time Transfers by Age
90
Provide practical help
80
70
Receive practical help
60
50
Percent
40
30
20
10
0
50-54 55-59 60-64 65-69 70-74 75-79 80-84 85+
Age
Life Impact | The University of Adelaide

10. How Much Time is Given
Number of hours of practical help given per week by
respondent age
50 - 64 65 - 74 75+
No amount 3.6 9.9 10.0
stated
Up to 5 hours 44.0 42.0 60.1
5 hours or more 52.7 48.6 30.1
Life Impact | The University of Adelaide

11. Amount of Time Given by Gender
How much they give per week...
60
69% of males said they
50
give practical help
compared to 60% of 40
Males
females 30
20 Females
BUT females who do
help give more 10
time than males
0
None Up to 5 5 hours or
hours more
Life Impact | The University of Adelaide

12. Who Gives Time by Income
Time given by respondent income
5 hours or more
$80,000+ < 5 hours
0
$40,000 - $80,000
Up to $40,000
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Life Impact | The University of Adelaide

13. Other Factors Influencing Time Transfers
• Children: respondents with no children were the
least likely to both give and receive both practical
and financial help
• Siblings: a smaller proportion of people with no
living siblings provide help to family members
compared to other groups but...
• Marital status: Respondents who were separated
divorced were more likely to give practical help to
other family members but....
Life Impact | The University of Adelaide

14. Summary of Time Given and Received
Gave Practical Received Practical
Help Help
Proportion of individuals
60.7% 29.2%
Average number of
7.1 8.0
hours/week/person*
Annual value/person** $9,658 $10,882
Total value for Australian
36.3 Billion 19.4 Billion
50+ population
* Only those respondents who gave or received
** Based on Australian Average Weekly Earnings hourly rate, $26.16
Life Impact | The University of Adelaide

15. The Value of Giving for the Australian
Economy
Approximately 36 Billion per annum is given in practical help to other
family members by people aged 50 years and over in Australia, this
compares to:
• A national government annual expenditure on health in 2010 of $21
billion;
• The national government annual expenditure on education in 2010 of
$8.5 billion, or the
• National government annual expenditure on defence in 2010 of $19.4
billion.
It can also be compared to:
• Value of production in the mining industry: $25 billion
• Value of retail industry: $14.6 billion
(ABS Cat No. 5206 Table 6) Life Impact | The University of Adelaide

16. Project Researchers:
Lisel O’Dwyer PhD
Helen Feist PhD
Kelly Parker PhD
Jennifer Buckley PhD
George Tan PhD
For more information regarding this project
please contact:
Dr Lisel O’Dwyer
lisel.odwyer@adelaide.edu.au
Life Impact | The University of Adelaide