Chile’s first longitudinal study on informal caregivers provides insight into how caregiving burden, labor force participation, and support needs evolve across different caregiving groups.
The Millennium Institute for Care Research (MICARE) presents the results of the MICARE Study 2023–2025. Personas cuidadoras no remuneradas: seguimiento longitudinal del cuidado en Chile,, a three-year study that tracked informal caregivers, generating unprecedented evidence on how care is experienced and evolves in the country.
The study shows that care is neither a static nor a homogeneous experience. Caregivers’ trajectories vary depending on the situation of the person they care for, the level of dependency, and the available support systems.
Among its main findings, the research reveals that more than 90% of caregivers perform this work every day, with average workdays of 15 to 16 hours, and that nearly 90% live with the person they care.
It also confirms that care continues to be a responsibility primarily shouldered by women: 76.3% of those caring for dependent older adults are women, a figure that rises to 93.3% in the case of caring for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).
One of the study’s main contributions is to show that support needs change over time. Among those caring for dependent older adults, the burden of care increases between 2023 and 2025, with a rise in stress and loneliness associated with the progression of dependency. In contrast, among those caring for people with DID, processes of adaptation and stabilization are observed in certain areas, linked to changes in care dynamics and greater levels of autonomy.
The results also highlight the impact of care on working life: more than half of caregivers are outside the labor market, and 12% report having left their jobs due to a lack of support or respite networks.
At MICARE, this evidence aims to contribute to the development of public policies that recognize the diversity of care experiences and enable progress toward more relevant support for the different realities faced by families in Chile.
“This research helps us understand that there is no single way to care for others. Needs evolve, and responses must adapt to these trajectories, taking into account both increased dependence and the processes of autonomy that are also part of care” said Claudia Miranda, director of MICARE.
The MICARE Study is now available for review and download, providing new evidence to help understand the current challenges of caregiving in the country.