Asian women and Latinas spend the most time on unpaid caregiving per capita

WASHINGTON, D.C. – June 27, 2024 – The National Partnership for Women & Families (NPWF) released a new analysis today, finding that Americans’ unpaid care work – two-thirds of which is done by women – is valued at more than $1 trillion each year. The research is based on the 2023 American Time Use Survey released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The annual survey measures how people spend their time, and includes activities such as leisure, volunteer and paid work, as well unpaid care work, such as caring for a child, helping an older family member or neighbor, or taking care of a sick friend.

The National Partnership analyzed who is more likely to do unpaid care work by race/ethnicity and gender, and how much time they spend. The analysis finds that:

• Overall, each person spends an average of 245 hours on caregiving annually. When valued at the low wages of the paid care workforce, that equates to more than $1 trillion. For women, the value of the unpaid care they provide is $643 billion.
• Asian women and Latinas spend more time than any other group providing unpaid care and support for family, friends and loved ones – at an average of about an hour per day. Altogether, Asian women provide 3.5 billion hours of unpaid care, while Latinas provide 8.4 billion hours. The total value of Asian women’s unpaid care work is $55 billion annually, and the total value of Latinas’ unpaid care work is $133 billion annually. Black women provide $4,250 in unpaid care per capita each year, totaling $80 billion annually.
• Black women provide $4,250 in unpaid care per capita each year, totaling $80 billion annually.
• White women provide $4,540 in unpaid care per capita each year, totaling $476 billion annually.

Asian women and Latinas spend more time than other groups providing care to people they live with, likely reflecting the fact that Asian and Latino families are more likely to live in multigenerational households. Black women and white women, meanwhile, average among the most time of any group caring for people outside of their household.

“These important data reveal exactly how much we undervalue care and demonstrate the enormous potential impact of compensating women for all the unpaid caregiving they perform, even at the inadequate wage levels currently provided to members of the paid care workforce,” said Jocelyn C. Frye, president of the National Partnership for Women & Families. “Time spent providing care is time spent working, and America’s caregivers make critical contributions to our communities and our economy. That is why we will continue our push to ensure every person receives the essential supports and protections – including paid family leave – that they need to thrive.”

“Caregiving work – both paid and unpaid – has long been viewed as ‘women’s work.’ The gap between women’s and men’s unpaid caregiving reflects these gender stereotypes – stereotypes that harm everyone, both at home and at work, by increasing women’s economic inequality and impacting men’s ability to care for their loved ones,” said Katherine Gallagher Robbins, Senior Fellow at the National Partnership for Women & Families. “Policymakers must prioritize investing in caregiving policies so people are not forced to choose between their loved ones and their paycheck.”

The analysis finds that the caregiving gap between men and women persists. Women spend an average of 17 more minutes than men each day caring for and helping family members and loved ones. Men also do essential care, providing $3,040 in unpaid care per capita each year, a total value of $403 billion.

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