Millions of women are quietly bearing the dual burden of caring for aging parents while also raising young children in the United States.
Known as the “sandwich generation,” they are squeezed between two sets of caregiving responsibilities that society has long expected them to shoulder with little to no formal support.
This invisible labor often comes at a cost to women’s health and financial stability, but also to the long-term economic security of families and communities.
The Weight of Dual Caregiving
The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) estimates that family caregivers provide about $600 billion worth of unpaid labor annually in the United States, with women contributing the majority of that time. Most of this labor falls on women, who are far more likely to cut back on paid work, lose income, and jeopardize retirement savings to meet family obligations.
The stress of balancing jobs, children, and aging parents also takes a toll on mental and physical health, contributing to burnout, anxiety, and chronic illness. Despite these sacrifices, public policy has been slow to catch up to the reality that caregiving is not always a “personal choice,” but a structural issue requiring systemic solutions.
To avoid the pitfalls of big-government programs, lawmakers can lead by advancing policies that reward hard work, preserve family independence, and prevent long-term reliance on government programs.
Fiscally Responsible Paid Leave
The United States lags behind many nations in providing mandatory maternity leave. But in countries like the United Kingdom, taxpayer-funded maternity leave is viewed as excessive and burdens employers.
Encouraging private-sector solutions, creating flexible, state-based paid leave programs, or allowing workers to draw from Social Security benefits early if needed for caregiving could create fiscally responsible paid leave. The key is to give families breathing room without saddling future generations with more debt.
Creating Quality, Affordable Care
Families shouldn’t have to choose between quality child or elder care or bankrupting themselves.
Policymakers should expand tax-advantaged savings accounts for dependent care, increase tax credits for caregiving expenses, and remove barriers that make it harder for states to innovate in childcare and eldercare delivery.
Strengthening Medicaid’s home and community-based care programs, while empowering families to direct funds toward the care arrangements that work best for them, could keep loved ones out of expensive care or nursing homes. Repealing the 2013 Home Care Rule and implementing a stronger regulatory framework could help address these challenges for seniors and other vulnerable individuals who rely on this critical support.
Encouraging Flexibility
Employers can do more by offering flexible work arrangements and recognizing caregiving as an essential part of life. I’ve worked from hospital rooms, nursing homes, doctors’ offices, and from my couch while cuddling sick kiddos. Women want flexibility in the workplace, and offering an empathetic and compassionate culture is critical to attracting and retaining the best and brightest.
Policymakers can protect independent contracting by establishing a clear and simple employment standard to prevent efforts to reclassify freelancers and gig workers as employees. Expanding portable benefits also allows independent workers to gain access to healthcare, disability, and retirement plans that stay with them.
The Path Forward Conclusion
People are living longer, and Americans are delaying having children until later in life. The sandwich generation is growing, and without systemic reform, more women will find themselves trapped in an impossible bind.
They’ll be expected to work like they don’t have caregiving responsibilities and to care like they don’t have jobs. But we don’t need the government to do more. We need the government to do better by removing barriers, rewarding hard work, and providing families with the tools to succeed.
This shift will empower states and communities to innovate and can help ensure that women caring for both children and parents are supported, not forgotten.