Cara James

Race, Gender, and Work: The Economics of Healthy Aging

Patricia (Pat) Milligan, William Dow, Sarita Gupta, Cara James, Lisa Margeson, Debra Whitman

A comprehensive analysis of systemic inequalities reveals that women face significant wealth and health disadvantages driven by caregiving burdens, racial disparities, and labor force interruptions that cost the average female caregiver $300,000 in lost benefits. While structural barriers like age discrimination and a cultural silence on personal finance exacerbate these gaps, progressive policy interventions such as Hawaii's Kāpūna Caregiver Program and Washington's Long-Term Care Trust Act are beginning to revalue unpaid care work. Economic experts and major corporations now advocate for universal family care insurance and expanded paid leave to normalize caregiving across genders and close the persistent wealth gap.