- The stress of managing caregiving responsibilities is taking an enormous emotional toll on parents, who are losing sleep, breaking down in tears, suffering health problems, and even considering suicide, according to a Care.com survey. That’s on top of the rising financial burden.
The financial cost of caregiving is rising, but the emotional burden is taking such a heavy emotional toll that parents are being pushed to the breaking point, according to a recent survey from Care.com.
In its latest Cost of Care report, which polled 3,000 US parents, the online marketplace for caregiving services detailed the stress of taking care of their immediate families, aging parents, and pets.
It found that 90% of parents lost sleep, 80% cried (with the number rising to 90% for mothers), 85% sacrificed other life goals, 73% lashed out at loved ones, 71% suffered health issues, and 29% considered suicide or self-harm.
“The level of stress and mental load on parents today has reached unacceptable heights, spurring detrimental outcomes,” Care.com CEO Brad Wilson said in the report, which was published Wednesday. “We, as a society, cannot stand idly by while parents endure a daily depletion of their time, money and energy taking care of those who depend on them the most.”
The report highlighted three key causes of the crushing stress:
First, the financial cost of caregiving takes up 40% of household income, with 22% going to child care alone. For the typical parent, that translated to spending $14,400 on all care in 2024, and at least $9,600 on child care. Those costs forced a third of parents to dip into their savings.
Second, scrambling to find care is also exhausting, with 52% saying it takes two months or more to find the right solution. Schedule changes, budget changes, and one-time needs were among the reasons for needing help.
Third, juggling everyone else’s needs means the typical parents has just three hours a day to themselves, with that figure dipping to only two hours for moms. With so little time, parents have sacrificed “life commitments,” such as seeing friends, enjoying hobbies, spending time with significant others, and attending parties, wedding, funerals or baby showers.
More parents identified the government as a source of help, with 87% calling for expanded tax credits for caregiving expenses. In addition, 79% said employers could play a role via subsidized caregiving benefits.
The Care.com report comes amid growing alarms about a childcare crisis. In fact, it was a major issue for voters during last year’s presidential race, especially after lawmakers failed to extend pandemic-era aid that helped make care more affordable.
The crisis has also converged with the housing affordability crisis, as rents, home prices, and mortgage rates have soared in recent years.
In fact, the average cost of childcare for two children is greater than the average price of rent in all 50 states, according to a 2024 report by the nonprofit Child Care Aware of America, which also found the price of childcare is more expensive than the average mortgage payment in 45 states.
At the Fortune Most Powerful Women summit in October, the childcare crisis and the burden on parents were also top of mind.
“Mothers are broken,” said Reshma Saujani, founder of Moms First and Girls Who Code.
If you are having thoughts of suicide, contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988 or 1-800-273-8255.