ABSTRACT. This study describes and explains the social-economic inequality in the care older parents receive from their children. Income is the indicator of social-economic status. The explanation of inequality is based on expected differences in the need, predisposition and opportunities to receive care. 259 parents report whether their children assist with personal and/or domestic care activities. Logistic regression analyses show that low-income parents are 3,6 times more likely to receive help from their children compared to high-income parents. The difference is explained by the fact that low-income parents are more often female, older and single, less often use privately paid help, prefer family care to professional care, and have more children living within proximity. It is concluded that the predisposition to use care (e.g. preferences) and, in particular, the opportunities to use care (e.g. no alternative sources of care) explain the differences in the use of informal care by older parents.
