It’s not enough that women have to deal with the gender pay gap; a new study reveals mothers may also have to contend with lifetime earnings losses from being a caregiver. Despite increasing cries for equal distribution of parenting duties, women are oftentimes still regarded as the
. From picking up the kids from school to taking off work when they are sick, mothers often bear the brunt of parenting duties—and it’s showing up on their paychecks.recently looked at women born between 1981 and 1985 who had biological children or stepchildren and used dynamic microsimulation techniques to project the lifetime employment-related costs of these women providing unpaid family care.
Researchers note that these findings are likely conservative estimates as they don’t include the total economic costs borne by caregivers. “Families often think first of immediate demands out of necessity. Children, aging loved ones and people with disabilities need care right now, and when that care is needed during working hours – or is too expensive or inaccessible — it is the mothers who usually scale back on paid work to provide care,” explained Women’s Bureau Director Wendy Chun-Hoon.
Congresswoman Gwen Moore said she’s pushing for federal policies like affordable, accessible childcare to support women caregivers. “This report is a call to action,” said Congresswoman Shontel Brown. “Families across the nation and from all demographics are struggling with high childcare costs.