The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly amplified the crisis of unpaid familial caregiving, with millions of individuals providing unpaid care daily. The increased caregiving load, has disproportionately impacted women and Black caregivers. In the U.S., women provide 2.2 times more unpaid family caregiving than men. This burden is not new; societal norms and roles have socialized women into such roles for ages.

The expectations of caregiver roles have evolved, with caregivers now expected to fulfill more complex roles traditionally handled by healthcare workers such as nurses, pharmacists, or respiratory therapists. In addition to the physical and emotional care they provide, family caregivers often have to navigate intricate healthcare and social service systems and manage complex health information. Nonetheless, the contributions of family caregivers largely remain unrecognized by society and politics and are unaudited in economic measures.

The role of caregiving often brings about declined physical and mental health, increased emotional distress, depression, anxiety, social isolation, not to mention the impact on their financial status and job commitments. The caregiving demands often force individuals to reduce their work hours, take leaves of absence, or resign, leading to financial instability and considerable productivity loss to the U.S. economy.

The 2016 ‘Families Caring for an Aging America’ report and the ‘2022 National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers’ acknowledged that effective interventions should recognize the multifaceted nature of caregiving. The proposed interventions should consider the caregiver, workplace, healthcare organizations, and societal levels, addressing gendered norms that assign women as primary caregivers.

In April 2023, the U.S. Biden-Harris Administration announced several executive orders focusing on caregiving, including increased respite care, more support during the discharge planning process, and expanded mental health support. However, a need exists for reforms in health insurance plans that overlook family caregivers when delivering direct services or financial and other supports.

Moreover, the National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers advocates for a national public long-term care social insurance program that includes benefits for caregivers. Such measures would secure a flexible set of goods and services necessary for community-based care.

Ultimately, societal norms must challenge the gendered aspect of family caregiving to support all caregivers and ensure the equitable implementation of caregiver interventions. The unpaid caregiving role that women disproportionately assume needs to be more recognized, valuing their contribution and addressing the physical, mental, and financial consequences they endure.