Lifetime Employment-Related Costs to Women of Providing Family Care

This report from the Urban Institute, commissioned by the Women’s Bureau, examines how the amount of time spent providing care to children and adults impacts women’s economic well-being, even long after the caregiving ends. Researchers found that the estimated employment-related costs for mothers providing unpaid care average $295,000 over a lifetime, based on the 2021 U.S. dollar value, adjusted for inflation. Unpaid family caregiving reduces a mother’s lifetime earnings by 15 percent, which also creates a reduction in retirement income.

Pregnant Women


Other Resources

U.S. Department of Labor Guidance on Supportive Services for Child Care and Long-Term Care This guidance is intended to assist Federal agencies, Federal funding recipients, employers, workforce development entities, and other stakeholders in the care community to make thoughtful investments into child care and long-term care to support workers.

Data & Information