Financially Empowering Women

Women provide the majority of informal care to spouses, parents, parents-in-law, friends and neighbors, and they play many roles while caregiving—hands-on health provider, care manager, friend, companion, surrogate decision-maker and advocate.  The demands on caregivers’ time are also substantial but women don’t abandon their caregiving responsibilities because of employment. Instead, they try to juggle combined pressures of caring for a loved one with their need for income and preparing for retirement.  According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the estimated percentage of informal caregivers who are women is between 69% - 75%.  Although men also provide care, female caregivers may spend as much as 50% more time providing care than male caregivers and are less likely to be employed full time. The percentage of women caregivers who report experiencing emotional stress due to their care giving role: 40% vs. 26% of the male caregivers. Traditionally, women have been socialized to fulf