Supporting Caregivers in the Workplace: Recognizing the Racial Caregiver Gap

To preface this article, I’d like to invite readers to my inner dialogue, as I am sure many will comment. As a white woman, should I be using my voice during Black History Month? Black History Month is the time to amplify Black voices, reflect on our country’s deeply painful past, and celebrate those working to make a more equitable future. It would be assumed that this is the time for me to sit back and allow my Black colleagues to speak on issues of importance. On the other hand, is it tokenizing to assume that my Black colleagues would like to invest time and effort into sharing their reflections this month? I also believe that progress will only happen when those with privilege take stock and use their power and influence to advocate for something different, so shouldn’t this be the time to vocalize support for greater racial equity? I share these inner thoughts, knowing that I am inviting criticism by posting a personal narrative during Black History Month, and I welcome feedback and respectful discussion. With that, I share this not as a story to accept sympathy or pity on my experience, but to highlight all the inequities preventing employees, especially those most intersectionally marginalized, from reaching the highest levels of leadership or even entering the corporate pipeline at all.

After four years Covid finally hit my family. Two weeks ago my partner tested positive, followed by my 2.5-year-old. I was the last one standing, although said 2.5-year-old was not only standing but bouncing off the walls as she remained completely asymptomatic.

?My workday shifted to take over childcare for the more labor-intensive parts of the day – the lunch shift and the naptime battle, not to mention the bathtimes and bedtimes. I put on my automatic replies to be transparent with colleagues that, given the circumstances, my days would be unpredictable with slow responses. When five days later my test came back positive, my partner could re-engage and take his turn to support my rest, but we both were feeling the pressures of parenting, working a makeshift schedule, and attempting self-care for our recoveries. Survival mode was enabled, screen time became virtually unlimited, and we got through one day at a time. A few supports that helped us through:

1. Generous time off: My partner has a flexible time off policy, and I have been accruing sick time for the past seven years at a rate that I can hardly keep up with. Neither of us needed to feel guilty for taking the time that we needed, nor did we lose income.
2. Hybrid work arrangements: The ability to work when I felt able, rest when needed, and make cupcakes in between meetings because my little one needed attention and activity, all of which made the day more straightforward to manage. While we didn’t feel guilty taking the time we required, we are both driven professionals whose ambitions can’t afford a complete two-week hiatus. My partner only submitted 1.5 days of sick time, I submitted more half days while I flexed hours as needed.
3. Flexible deadlines: The ability to manage expectations about what work or meetings were feasible, and which needed to be pushed, and to decide in collaboration with my manager how I would balance my time.
4. Accessible healthcare, and mental health care: With a medical history of asthma and the added condition of being 18 weeks pregnant, I was concerned about contracting the virus. I could pick up at-home tests using FSA funds: 21 tests were used between the three of us. As for mental health, while I may be on the search for a new therapist, I wasn’t without providers who were tuned into what I was experiencing and made sure to ask questions about my mental state. I checked in with my OB over telehealth and was able to talk about both my physical health and my emotional well-being. My insurance also has a nurse care manager program for maternal health, and she was able to refer me to additional behavioral health resources.

In my role as Director of Programs and Engagement for the The Center for Women and Business at Bentley University , I work with organizations on their best practices for workplace inclusion and to advance intersectional gender equity. I feel so fortunate to have a role in an environment that encourages vulnerability and authenticity and allows me to bring my experiences and passions to work. In the center, we explore practical, data-driven best practices for fostering cultures of belonging and cultivating intersectionally trained leaders. In the fall I wrote an updated curated report for the CWB, Changing the Face of the C-Suite: Supporting Caregivers in the Workplace, exploring the systemic barriers to career progression for working caregivers, and highlighting the practices that will empower intersectional gender equity at work.

Studying the unique plight of caregivers in the workplace at present has enriched my work, validated my experiences, and strengthened partnerships with organizations and their DEI leaders. It’s also why I feel it’s so important to encourage leaders to be vulnerable about their lived experiences because nothing can change if we suffer in silence; in fact, economist Professor Emily Oster calls this the plague of silent parenting. It takes vulnerability and open and honest communication about how these daily trials impact individual and organizational performance to find solutions and support. This is how at Bentley University we empower learners, and leaders, to be a force for good.

Sometimes life imitates art, or in this case, it confirms the data. Having written this report not too long ago, the caregiver data has been fresh in my mind. All of the benefits I listed before are privileges that I, as a white woman in a heterosexual relationship, would be statistically likely to hold. Some further statistics echoing the intersectional experiences of caregivers at work:

• As the McKinsey Women in the Workplace report shows, women make up 48% of entry-level positions while only 28% of C-Suite positions are occupied by women; only 6% are women of color. Hispanic and Black workers are the least likely to hold corporate positions where benefits such as paid sick time would be competitive. They are also most likely to be front-line workers, positions unable to be conducted remotely.
• 80% of Black women are the primary earners for their families, making unpaid time off unaffordable, and worsening both physical and mental health with the pressure that comes from providing and caregiving, as well as the toll of weathering. This is a crisis as Black women are less likely to seek care for their mental health, which often manifests as physical symptoms such as cardiovascular diseases, fatigue, and other chronic conditions.
• Being afforded flexibility is not only a product of being in the same department for seven years but also of my white womanhood. In response to my out-of-office message I was offered all kinds of virtual camaraderie, and even offers to have home-cooked meals dropped at my door. My work in the CWB often dovetails with implicit biases and stereotypes that impact workplace progression. While I can’t speak with 100% certainty, the expectation for Black excellence?would dictate that in the same situation, we would expect our Black colleagues to not only shoulder the burdens of caregiving but to do so without complaint and without flaw. Researcher Laura Morgan Robert explains this as the “freedom to fade,” where those most marginalized will be scrutinized for failure, and that all employees need a break from perfectionism in order to thrive.
• For men, stigma is the biggest barrier to caregiving. While my partner’s work was understanding and was set up for flexible work, his managers expected much more from him over the past few weeks than my work did me. He had more pressure, both internalized and external, to return to work sooner, and he pushed himself to be visible at meetings. Whether men are expected to have partners who are the primary caregivers, or whether facing pressure to be the “ideal worker,” there is still work to be done to support men who want to be active caregivers, and therefore active allies to their working partners.??
• Caregivers who identify as LGBTQ+ face to severe economic hardship compared to other marginalized populations, and they are the least likely to access resources such as the Child Tax Credit out of fear of discrimination.
• LGBTQ+ parents also experience higher rates of anxiety and depression than non-LGBTQ+ identifying parents.

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This Black History Month, I ask that organizations and those with the power to make an impact take the time to read our report and recommendations and commit to action. There are suggestions for individuals to be allies, for caregivers to engage and ask for support, and for employers to evaluate their practices, as well as further ideals to break down systemic inequities. Caregivers now make up 73% of the workforce, and another 30% of Americans aged 25-54 cited caregiving as the reason they are not seeking employment. For many full-time caregiving is a beautiful choice, and for others, it means stepping back from dreams. Many would also love to have the choice of full-time caregiving but cannot afford not to work. Either way, there is talent being drained before they even step in the door to work or talent walking out the door as managing it all becomes untenable. In the race for top performers, innovation, and economic prowess, it is in an organization’s best interest to create a more sustainable work environment for this growing sector of employees.

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I also want to use this space to raise awareness of the organizations and leaders working to support caregivers of all kinds. In the spirit of amplifying Black voices, I’ll be linking Black-owned and Black-serving organizations here, and please feel free to tag others committed to the work in the comments:

• The Loveland Foundation focused on mental health resources for Black women and girls
• Mom's Hierarchy of Needs, LLC working with employers to establish support for working caregivers, especially in wellness initiatives
• Black Mamas Matter Alliance, Inc. (BMMA) focused on the health and rights of Black birthing people
• CEO Action for Racial Equity, and specifically their Equity and Excellence in Early Childhood Education Initiative, a significant need for caregivers