Why Black Women Keep Getting Cast as Caregivers - Blavity
A mother ages into illness, a father suffers from a sudden disability, and you’re the only one who can house your loved ones through their waning health. It’s often said that becoming a caretaker is one of the most fulfilling gifts life can give you, and that can in many ways be true. However, it’s an unfair sentiment when it overrides how much of burden it can equally be. And it’s especially unfair when those very caretaker roles disproportionately fall onto Black women. In the United States, 61 percent of informal caregivers are women, a role typically inherited by eldest daughters or only children. The percentage of those women being Black is even higher, highlighting a sobering reality many Black women face: caregiving for those with complex needs while also potentially caring for children, maintaining careers, and navigating systemic disadvantages. Resources like respite care, paid leave, and financial support are ultimately much more accessible to white women. Among the over...

