Double care burden, women's participation, and household welfare in Indonesia

Women’s participation in Indonesia’s labour market has remained stagnant, partly due to the persistent double burden of childcare and eldercare responsibilities. This study examines how the presence of toddlers and older adults within households is associated with women’s likelihood of participating in the labour market and further explores how women’s employment under these caregiving responsibilities relates to household welfare, measured through indicators of poverty, food insecurity, and energy deprivation. Using data from the 2023 National Socio-Economic Survey, the analysis employs binary logistic regression models to estimate these relationships. Our findings show that both childcare and eldercare responsibilities are negatively associated with women’s labour force participation, with the strongest reductions observed in households that simultaneously contain young children and older adult dependants. Regarding welfare outcomes, our results indicate that women’s employment is generally associated with a lower likelihood of income-based poverty. However, households in which women work while bearing dual caregiving responsibilities are more likely to experience food insecurity, reflecting the complex trade-offs between income generation and the time required for caregiving. These findings highlight the importance of expanding affordable childcare and community-based eldercare services and strengthening social protection systems to better support caregiving households in Indonesia.