The Care Board Blog Series
The Gender Wage Gap by State
March 26 is Equal Pay Day—the date that marks how far into 2026 women must work to earn what men earned in 2025. Put another way, women must work nearly three additional months to make what men earned in 12 months.In 2025, women working full-time, year-round earned 81 cents for every dollar earned…
The Wage Gap for Mothers by State
Mothers earn substantially less than fathers in every state, with gaps that widen when part-time and part-year work are included.In 2025, mothers with children under 18 earned 64 cents for every dollar earned by fathers among all workers, and 74 cents among full-time, year-round workers. The size…
The Gender Wage Gap by Race and State
Women earn less than White non-Hispanic men across all racial and ethnic groups, though the size of the wage gap varies substantially. In 2025, Hispanic women had the largest gap, earning just 56 cents for every dollar earned by a White non-Hispanic man among full-time, year-round workers, followed…
Labor Force Participation Tracker: Parents with Children Under 5
The Care Board’s Labor Force Participation Tracker provides monthly updates on how mothers of young children are engaging in the workforce. Using data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey (CPS), the tracker highlights monthly, six-month, and annual changes in the labor force…
Parenthood and Full-Time & Part-Time Work: Insights from Prime-Age Workers
Nearly one in five (20%) employed mothers residing with a minor child work part-time, compared to just 5% of employed fathers. Why are mothers’ work patterns more responsive to the presence and age of their children relative to fathers (Figure 1)? The answer may lie between the gaps in the U.S.…
Childcare Affordability Analysis: A State-by-State Breakdown
The cost of childcare has skyrocketed across the U.S., increasing more than 50% over the last decade. In every state, it costs more than rent, and in most states, it exceeds mortgage payments and college tuition. These staggering costs make it difficult for families—especially single mothers—to…
Essential Work, Insufficient Pay: A Disconnect in the Caregiving Industry
Care work is vital to a functioning society and a crucial activity in many of our most intimate relationships and communities. Yet we, as a society, underinvest in care workers. On average, care workers, especially home care workers and personal aides, are about three times more likely to live in…
The Care Board: A New Tool for Understanding the Care Economy
Introducing The Care Board, an interactive dashboard for policymakers, researchers, and advocates. What is The Care Board? Care work—whether it’s raising children, supporting aging parents, or assisting those with disabilities—is the backbone of our economy. Yet, despite its essential…