Abstract Care for older relatives is central in ageing societies, and the timing of caregiving onset significantly shapes caregivers’ health, social and employment trajectories. However, differences in the age at which family caregiving begins and their potential social and intersectional stratification have not been sufficiently explored. Using data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), we analysed individuals becoming daily caregivers between Waves 1 and 9 (ages 50–95). We explored intersectional inequalities in the age of caregiving onset, distinguishing intra- (partner, siblings) and intergenerational (parents, in-laws) caregiving. Intra-generational caregiving onset had a maximum 11-year difference between strata, while intergenerational caregiving had a four-year maximum difference. Across both types of care, women with low-skill occupations and high education had an earlier caregiving onset in the lifecourse. This was particularly pronounced for intra-generational care, with unique intersectional differences that could not be explained by single social factors alone. These findings highlight large inequalities in the age of caregiving onset between intersectional strata for both intra- and intergenerational care, demonstrating that becoming a care-giver is a socially stratified lifecourse transition. This contribution identifies who enters caregiving earlier, informing more targeted policy and practitioner support to prevent the accumulation of disadvantage in older ages. Mapping the social heterogeneity and intersectional nature of caregiving onset is critical to further understanding the prerequisites, meaning and consequences for family caregivers across the lifecourse.
Alonso-Perez et al. (2026) studied this question.