Older Women: Unwavering Pillars of the U.S. Care Economy (9/16/25)
Okay ladies, this one’s for you! It is no secret that for many generations now, women have taken on the primary responsibility for caregiving roles both in terms of professional caregiving as well as in the area of unpaid family care. In this blog we discuss the critical contributions and the sacrifices women have made and continue to make to ensure the well-being of their loved ones, and their overall impact on the U.S. care economy. Our focus will be directed toward the more senior (or should we say, the more seasoned) population of female caregivers (55 years old and older). Literature from the U.S. Department of Labor makes some powerful statements regarding this group of working caregivers as follows:
“Older women are critical to the care infrastructure of the U.S. – both in terms of the unpaid care they offer, and the millions of unpaid care hours they provide on a daily basis. This care, in turn, is part of the framework that props up the rest of the economy: It allows employees to work and thrive, and the U.S. economy to function.”
This comment segues perfectly into the reason why this is so important. Keep in mind as you read this blog, that there are other groups of working caregivers who are equally important to providing a steady foundation for the care economy in this country. Their contributions are not forgotten. However, here we are spotlighting our seasoned women caregivers.
Let’s Do the Math
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, everyday in this country, women 55 years-old or older perform 23.5% of some type of unpaid caregiving. On average, spending a little over two hours a day engaged in this work. Based on the 52 million women in this age category, this translates to 26.6 million hours a day of unpaid care. The adult caregiving they perform includes assisting disabled family members; supporting aging parents dealing with age-related illnesses or conditions; and helping a spouse during recovery from surgery. Women in the 55+ age category compile 25.6% of all the people performing unpaid adult care.
When we look at the women in this age group who engage specifically in eldercare, their contribution increases significantly going from 25.6% providing unpaid adult care to 35.3% specifically performing unpaid elder care. By eldercare, we are referring to caring for individuals suffering from age-related illnesses like those dealing with some form of dementia; becoming more frail; difficulty seeing, hearing or moving; and becoming more forgetful. The work can involve preparing meals, assisting with grooming, transportation and companionship.
These seasoned women performing eldercare services represent the largest group (one-third) of unpaid elder care providers nationally. (U.S. Department of Labor)
We feel it important to mention that men 55 years-old or older compose 12.2% and 21.6% of unpaid adult care and eldercare providers respectively. (Bureau of Labor Statistics) We look forward to providing more details around the contributions of male caregivers in a future blog.
Benefits and Negative Consequences
In her article for the Women’s Bureau, U.S. Department of Labor, author Gretchen Livingston, points out that a solid caregiving foundation is vital for maintaining families as well as the labor force in this country. She stated: “Care is the framework upon which the rest of the economy rests: Without caregivers, many people with family responsibilities are unable to work…. Caregiving is crucial to the smooth operation of the U.S. labor force…”
However, caregiving performed by women in the 55+ age group is not without some negative consequences. Livingston notes that many of these women care for others while sacrificing their own financial security. Reduced participation in the workforce to care for a loved one, results in reduced long-term earnings which translates to reduced Social Security and retirement benefits. The domino effect indeed. Further, this age group of female caregivers are more likely to end up living at the poverty level as a consequence of their caregiving responsibilities.
Effects of the Pandemic
As the Covid pandemic bore out, a strong care foundation is essential for maintaining a stable care economy and for supporting individual households and families. Interestingly, in 2020 when the pandemic first hit, up to 13% of women ages 55+ left the workforce to provide unpaid care to a loved one. (U.S. Department of Labor) In doing so, these women risked deflating their own financial security to care for someone else. Consequently, as these women continue to age, they will have less time to make up the earning years they sacrificed to become unpaid caregivers.
So, what’s the solution to this dilemma?
We don’t know the answer here. Deciding to care is a highly emotional and personal decision. Many factors including who you work for, the workplace, benefits, flexibility, etc. play a part in the decision. All we can suggest is to make sure you have all the facts, weigh the benefits and negative consequences and take the needed time (if possible) to think through your decision very carefully. Meanwhile, let’s take every opportunity to help uplift and encourage these 55+ year-old women caregivers and all working caregivers, for that matter, as they struggle through the daily challenges of caring. We salute you.
We leave you with these questions:
Working Caregivers:
Are you aware of any and all employee benefits and resources available to help you through your caregiving difficulties?
Have you made financial provisions to help support you should you decide to leave your job to care on a full time basis? If so, do you have a plan to assist you in re-entering the workforce should you decide to do so down the road?
Employers/Leaders/HR:
Do you have any existing benefits that can help assist these working caregivers so that they can maintain their roles in the company?
Do you have any financial initiatives that can help them with financial planning and maintaining financial stability in the long-term?
Do you think you would be interested in having a speaker come to your workplace and speak on the topic of long-term financial planning? Contact us to find out more.
Until the next blog. Thank you for stopping by, reading, and for caring!
References
Women’s Bureau U.S. Department of Labor, Older Women and Unpaid Caregiving in the U.S., by Gretchen Livingston, November 2023.
U.S. Department of Labor, News Release, Unpaid Eldercare in the United States – 2021-2022, Data from the American Time Use Survey, September 21, 2023.