Publications
Women & Unpaid Labor
2021
González-Rivera, C. (2021, Sept. 21). Women & Unpaid Labor. Silver Spring, MD: Center for Workforce Inclusion.
christian gonzález-rivera
Among the social needs and rifts uncovered by the COVID-19 pandemic, the importance of caregiving is one of the most personal. Three out of four informal caregivers are women and if they cannot pay for help, they end up carrying most of the caregiving burden themselves.
While this work is uncompensated, it is not free labor. Caregiving carries a real economic cost for the many women—and some men—who must compromise work or school in order to carry out their duties. These costs come in the form of limiting work hours, delaying education, turning down job promotions, being unable to relocate for better opportunities, and taking a lifetime earnings hit if they have to stop working for a few years or even retire early to attend to caregiving.
In this article published by the Center for Workforce Inclusion, christian gonzález-rivera examines the long-lasting impact of caregiving on a woman’s economic security.