Catherwood LibraryILR School

America’s care needs are increasing as baby boomers age and millennials give birth, with caregiving expected to be the largest employment sector by 2020. Almost 70 percent of mothers and 90 percent of fathers are in the workforce; in addition, one in nine people older than 65 are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s - all of which requires caregivers in order to continue or grow economic productivity. Yet a survey shows that 65 percent of domestic workers don’t have health insurance, only 4 percent have insurance provided by their employer, only 2 percent receive retirement funds from their employer, and fewer than 9 percent have employers who pay into Social Security. The average wage for caregivers is $9 an hour, compared to double-digit figures for golf caddies and grocery bag handlers, leaving many of them unable to save for their own care needs. The Pentagon, continuing a tradition since the 1940s, still subsidizes on-site care centers for its military families, but by and large the economic and social scope of caregiving remains unquantified due to the “invisibility of unpaid care” performed by both workers and family members. America's fathers are increasingly involved with parenting and with care issues, but without the social or workplace support needed for them to do more.