Why Care Work is a Missing Link to Economic Opportunity

Childcare. Home health support. Caring for the elderly. Each of these is an example of care work, the work that makes it possible for millions of people to participate in the workforce every day. This work is essential, but often remains largely invisible and undervalued in our economy.

Care work is actually a missing link to economic opportunity. When people can’t access affordable, reliable care, their ability to earn an income, complete training, or advance in their careers becomes severely limited — a strain employers also experience. And when care workers themselves are underpaid, the entire care system becomes unstable. 

What if we could change that? 

What if there were stronger platforms to connect careworkers with good-paying jobs? What if there were more investment in eliminating “childcare deserts” to improve access to care? What if we could align care work with an economy that invests in proper pay and lifts workers out of low-wage jobs?

GitLab Foundation is exploring these approaches and looking to fund organizations that create high-leverage economic mobility pathways within the care economy.

“If we can find ways to improve the care economy, we fundamentally expand people’s ability to access opportunity,” said Kali Shebi, program officer at GitLab Foundation. “That’s why this work is so essential to what we are trying to do.”

What is the care economy?

The care economy encompasses all of the work—paid and unpaid—that goes into nurturing and supporting people throughout their lives. The International Labour Organization defines care work as work that “sustains life” and includes all roles that provide care and services that contribute to the “nurturing, support and reproduction of current and future populations.” That’s a broad spectrum of roles, from home nurses to healthcare workers to daycare providers, among many others.

Childcare, one important slice of the care economy, has the potential to create strong economic outcomes. Global Health Visions views an investment in childcare as a “triple dividend” that creates three distinct beneficiaries. First, investment in childcare brings more women into the workforce. Second, it creates quality jobs in the care sector. Third, it supports children’s development.

Each of these benefits reinforces the others, creating a cycle of economic opportunity.

Credit: Getty Images

The care economy’s impact

Despite the benefits illustrated in the “triple dividend” concept, the care economy disproportionately affects women.

According to UN Women, women and girls spend 2.5 times as many hours a day on unpaid care work as men. In addition, 80% of paid domestic workers worldwide are women, who would most significantly benefit from an increase in wages.

Research from Yale University’s Tobin Center for Economic Policy shows that when parents have access to free early care that aligns with standard working hours, their income increases by 22% during the pre-K years. Making childcare accessible to all, not just those who can afford it, strengthens the economy. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, families also spent an average of $6,552 to $15,600 on full-time childcare in 2022. Reducing or eliminating this cost would significantly improve families’ ability, especially women’s, to remain in the workforce.

GitLab Foundation grantees are improving outcomes for the care economy

Several GitLab Foundation grantees provide wraparound support that enables access to economic opportunity. These examples represent an opportunity to show what’s possible when we recognize care as work, and understand its significance as a fundamental approach to economic mobility.

• Carina is a platform for careworkers to find good jobs and care seekers to obtain quality care. The platform integrates state Medicaid workflows to automate the process of matching care workers with jobs that create income-generating value for families who need care to remain employed.

• HeyMirza is a public benefits platform designed to facilitate economic mobility and empowerment, starting with childcare. The platform streamlines the complex, fragmented application processes across local, state, and federal funding streams, enabling parents to secure financial assistance that supports their economic mobility.

• Nurture addresses the challenges of childcare deserts in parts of California and the economic insecurity of care workers by providing low-income immigrant women with tools to launch and sustain licensed, home-based childcare businesses. 

When people have access to free or affordable care and care workers have better-paying jobs, families, employers and the economy benefit.

“The care economy affects all of us,” said Shebi. “ If it’s well-supported, it can be a powerful driver of economic growth and help low-income workers, especially women, earn more.”

GitLab Foundation is investing in grantees and partners whose work centers on improving the care economy to create a future where families and care workers have the resources they need to thrive.