Marti Bledsoe, a past guest of the show, recounts how she burned out, quit her job, intended to get a new job after taking a breather, and then wasn’t able to for over a year. That’s because someone in her family kept getting sick or hurt, she had to move twice, and all of the logistics and emotional support fell to her (because who else was going to do it?!).

These ever-expanding, relentless set of responsibilities is the norm for lots of women in the U.S., especially mothers. Sociologist Jessica Calarco joins Marti and Amy B to help make sense of Marti’s exhausting year of unpaid work and the forces that put her and other women into the position of being people’s default, unpaid caregiver.

Guest expert:

Jessica Calarco is a sociologist at the University of Wisconsin and the author of the book Holding It Together: How Women Became America’s Safety Net.

Resources:

“Your Employees Are Also Caregivers. Here’s How to Support Them,” by Gretchen Gavett
“Working While Managing Your Child’s Mental Health,” from Women at Work
“When You’re Responsible for Eldercare,” from Women at Work

Email us: womenatwork@hbr.org