Lehigh Times

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On May 11, Congresswoman Susan Wild and leaders of the Democratic Women’s Caucus joined a press call with the U.S. Department of Labor to discuss the release of a report by the department’s Women’s Bureau on how caring for family has long-term impacts on a woman’s lifetime earnings. DWC Communications Co-Chairs Reps. Shontel Brown and Gwen Moore and DWC Member Rep. Susan Wild, lead of the Child Care for Working Families Act, joined Women’s Bureau Director Wendy Chun-Hoon and Women’s Bureau Senior Advisor Sarah Jane Glynn.

The report, “Lifetime Employment-Related Costs to Women of Providing Family Care,” finds the amount of time women spend providing essential care to children and adults has a substantial personal economic cost that continues long after the caregiving ends. The estimated employment-related costs for mothers providing unpaid care averages $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. 

“Women spend invaluable time providing compassionate, dedicated care for their children and family members – and their reduced lifetime earnings because of it illustrate just how important solving the childcare crisis is,” said Congresswoman Susan Wild. “Lack of accessible, affordable childcare in Pennsylvania impacts our economy to the tune of more than $6 billion per year, harming working moms’ and working families’ ability to earn more and get ahead. I’m proud to be leading the Child Care for Working Families Act to expand care options for all moms and families and unlock our full economic potential.” 

This report and continued work to study the effects of lack of child care on women’s life time earnings—along with legislation like the Child Care for Working Families Act that Rep. Wild introduced last month—is vital to ensuring that women are equal participants in our economy and achieve the financial freedom they are due.

“Unpaid caregiving is work and should be recognized as such. This report is another reminder of the long-term cost women incur by providing unpaid care, and it cannot go ignored,” said Congresswoman Gwen Moore. “I am working to ensure our federal policies support those providing unpaid care to loved ones, uplifting women and their families, so we can build an equitable, modern economy.”

“This report is a call to action. All families should have access to affordable childcare if we want to have an inclusive economy,” said Congresswoman Shontel Brown. “Families across the nation and from all demographics are struggling with high childcare costs. This financial burden is especially high in historically marginalized communities, including Black mothers, as they are the least likely to scale back employment after having children due to challenging economic conditions. A lack of affordable care puts so much pressure on families, Black women deserve the ability to build wealth and build a family. Our children, mothers and families in Northeast Ohio deserve better.”

Although its findings rely on sophisticated modeling to focus on the costs associated with caregiving activities for mothers, the report – prepared for the Women’s Bureau by the Urban Institute – acknowledges that the costs are likely conservative estimates that do not include the total economic costs borne by caregivers. 

Review the “Lifetime Employment-Related Costs to Women of Providing Family Care.”

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Original source can be found here.