Research staff at Support For Caregivers Network attended the release of the report Supporting Family Caregivers in STEMM: A Call to Action, issued by the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine.
The release was on April 11, 2024, making this one of the most up to date reports on the topic of family caregivers in the workforce.
The report focuses on academic institutions, women and marginalized groups of people. However, it is clear that many of the problems and potential solutions apply outside of academia.
Family caregiving is:
- A strategic labor force investment, and
- An issue of equity
The committee defined caregiving and developed a typology that looks at two factors: who is receiving the care and the type of care provided. In STEMM academia, lack of support for caregivers results in:
- Reduced labor force participation
- Reduced earnings and retirement
- Reduced career opportunities and growth
This is the start of the chain of logic that supports family caregiving as a strategic labor force investment.
The issue of equity involves the outsized participation of women as family caregivers. It is amplified by even higher rates of women of color providing care, and more intensive care.
The report goes on to identify barriers to family caregiving support, best practices and innovations. It includes recommendations for institutions and the government.
It turns out that, of the 38 OECD (developed, cooperating) countries, only the United States does not have a paid family leave policy.
Links
Interactive Report Site (NASEM)
Download the PDF of the Prepublication Version of the Entire Report (223 pages)
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