Caregiving and Families
Recognizing the invaluable contribution of unpaid care work, we strive to create policies that support and uplift caregivers by analyzing the need for accessible and high-quality child care, elder care, paid sick and family leave, flexible work schedules, and cash transfers for mothers and families.
It’s Time to Reframe Care as a Public Good
In March, academics, researchers, and advocates came together to discuss the future of the U.S. care infrastructure at a conference presented by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, American University's Program on Gender Analysis in Economics, and the Carework Network. Taking stock of the caregiving landscape in the age of COVID-19, panelists focused on the impact of the pandemic, the current policy environment, shifting narratives around care, and the urgent changes needed to create a care system that works for women and families.
Care Workers Join Older Adult and Disability Advocates to Call for Vital Reforms
Last week, disability rights advocates were joined by caregiving professionals and policymakers at a rally in Washington, DC, to call for much-needed investment in the care infrastructure. Rally participants delivered the call to invest in care—with a focus on home and community-based services and living wages for direct care workers—at an important moment, as Congress continues to debate legislature that would provide critical funding like the Build Back Better Act and its reincarnations.
Holiday “Magic” Is Also Unpaid Care Work
The gender inequities in care work are well-documented. According to the American Time Use Survey (ATUS), in 2019, women spent 2.16 hours per day on household activities such as cooking and cleaning while men spent 1.39 hours.* Further, women report spending 16 percent more time [...]
Evaluating the Role of Campus Child Care in Student Parent Success
To ensure student parents are wholly supported in their educational pathways, research is needed to understand the connection between quality, affordable child care and student parents’ academic outcomes. Yet several challenges persist that make rigorous study of this connection difficult. Drawing on interviews with campus child care directors and a review of data and relevant literature, this brief presents a snapshot of the availability and importance of campus child care services for student parent success. It concludes with recommendations to improve conditions for rigorous research on the role of campus child care in the outcomes of college students with children.
