5

This paper examines employment rates and help given to parents by adults from four European countries aged 50-64 years who have at least one living parent. The data are taken from Waves 4 and 5 of the 2010 and 2012 “Share‪” surveys that looked into the link between the end of an individual’s professional life and the support they provide to an aging parent. The continued increase of older women in the labor market is placing pressure on informal systems of care for older people. The perception of a parent’s health status is an important factor that influences the provision of help, and the level of help provided contributes greatly to the probability of being in paid employment.