Even before the pandemic, more than one in six full-time workers in the U.S. are caregivers. As our population ages, caregiving for older parents is becoming even more common. Today, caregivers are more likely to be millennials or Gen Xers, who are valued as experienced workers.
Due to traditional gender norms, women often carry the heaviest caregiving responsibilities. Caregivers are more likely to report being stressed, to have worked while feeling unwell, are most likely to experience financial hardship over medical expenses and to suffer because of work-life balance pressures.
