Care work, both paid and unpaid, is the foundation of healthy families and a thriving economy, yet it remains chronically undervalued and under supported. Women shoulder an outsized share of unpaid caregiving for children, aging parents, and disabled loved ones, often at the expense of their own economic security and long-term financial stability. At the same time, the paid care workforce, disproportionately made up of women of color, remains among the lowest-paid in the country, despite performing work that is essential to society.
When care is unaffordable or unavailable, the consequences ripple outward. Women are pushed out of the workforce or forced to reduce their hours, families face impossible tradeoffs, and the broader economy pays the price. Paid leave, flexible work arrangements, and accessible, high-quality child and elder care are not luxuries—they are essential supports that families across the country urgently need.
2.5In 2024, women spent an average of 2.5 hours per day on unpaid care, compared with 1.6 hours for men.
$450BIn 2023, the median hourly wage for women was $18.10. At that rate, the annual foregone earnings of mothers of children 12 years and younger for the time spent providing primary child care came to $16,516 on average, and to more than $450 billion when multiplied by the number of all mothers with younger children.
