Feelings of Guilt When Caring for Parents Across Borders: The Role of Gender and Country-Specific Care Systems and Norms

Abstract

It is well established that families maintain ties across national borders. Research shows that caregiving obligations between adult children and their parents can induce care burden and negatively impact well-being, particularly when children are unable to adequately care for parents abroad. Guilt is the most common of personal feelings involved in care burden and yet often neglected in research. Research also highlights gender differences in care burden shaped by social norms, with women typically reporting more guilt than men. However, we still have a poor understanding of the factors leading to difference in feelings of guilt between men and women in transnational families. This article focuses on male and female residents in Germany who provide care to parents living abroad, comparing them with individuals whose parents also reside in Germany. Through this comparison, we aim to deepen the understanding of the specific challenges and well-being outcomes related to caregiving in transnational families. Our findings show that transnational family ties do not inherently increase feelings of care-related guilt. Rather, guilt is higher when parents live in countries with family-oriented institutional care systems and stronger norms of caregiving. Contrary to expectations, these effects are not stronger for women. Still, across all contexts, women report higher levels of guilt than men—regardless of whether care takes place within national borders or across them, and regardless of care institutions and norms.