American Society on Aging and Caring Across Generations Probe Impact of Race, Ethnicity, and Gender in Caregiving in Generations Journal and Videos
Articles by Women of Color Address Burden on Black ‘Sandwich Generation’ Caregivers, Struggles of Caregivers Under Age 18, and How Public Policy Can Support Caregiving
Videos Feature Personal Stories, Effects on Families and Communities
Link to journal (See note below) | Link to videos
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Nov. 2, 2021
Contact: Mollie Katz, mollie@caringacross.org
(Nov. 2, 2021)–How does caregiving impact women of color? What challenges face the newly visible population of caregivers under 18? And how can we shift public policy in America to make caregiving a communal –not individual–responsibility? These questions are answered in the latest issue of the American Society on Aging (ASA) publication The Generations Journal and three accompanying videos featured in ASA’s virtual exhibit, Visions of an Aging Society. The journal issue and videos take a close look at caregiving through the lens of equity and diversity in aging. All were developed jointly with Caring Across Generations,
The journal explores race and gender inequities in caregiving in 11 articles. All are written by women of color, the population that shoulders a disproportionate level of care responsibilities in paid and unpaid roles. The articles provide evidence that caregiving work by women of color has long been undervalued and underpaid, due to the legacy of slavery in this country that echoes in race and gender discrimination today.
The Visions of an Aging Society multimedia exhibit features three short videos that look at the value of care, and the expectation of receiving and giving care as we age. Diverse people tell their own stories about how race, ethnicity, and gender identity influence their families and communities. Those interviewed include a Black lesbian couple, a Puerto Rican woman, and a transgender person.
Generations Journal Articles
The articles address a wide range of caregiving concerns affecting marginalized groups. These include:
- The need to transform caregiving in America from an individual burden to a communal responsibility through new government policies. The pandemic increased the urgency of rebuilding a care system that had already been in crisis and has given the nation an opportunity to form a more equitable care system, according to authors Ai-jen Poo, co-founder and executive director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance and co-founder and director of Caring Across Generations, and Sade Moonsammy, who was interim executive director at Family Values @ Work when the article was written and is now Deputy Director.
- The crushing impact on Black women caregivers in the sandwich generation. “For too long we have lived with a patchwork system, tethered together with the flimsiest of threads; passing down the mantra of ‘make it work’ — it isn’t enough,” writes Sadé Dozan, development director at Caring Across Generations and a Black sandwich generation caregiver. She points to systems that discriminate against women of color who are caregivers and calls for a new care system that will allow all families to thrive at home and at work and to gain economic stability.
- The struggles of the hidden population of caregivers in the U.S. under age 18. Awareness of children under age 18 caring for a loved one in the U.S. is growing, but little is known about these youths who are marginalized, who lack support services, and who are likely to feel the effects of the pandemic on their lives for decades, writes author Feylyn Lewis, a research fellow in the School of Education and Social Work at the University of Sussex in Brighton, U.K. She reports that while some young caregivers have become more resilient through caregiving, others — particularly young people of color and those identifying as LGBTQ+ — are more likely to live in poverty, have their school and home lives disrupted, and experience caregiving stresses for longer periods of time.
Other articles in the journal address issues such as raising revenue for equitable social policies, aging while incarcerated, deinstitutionalizing disability, and changing American narratives about caregiving through popular culture.
Note: The Generations Journal has a paywall but allows non-members of ASA to read three free articles per issue on the ASA website. Journalists who wish to view more of the issue may contact Mollie Katz, interim communications director at Caring Across Generations, mollie@caringacross.org.
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The American Society on Aging unites, empowers and champions everyone striving to improve aging.
Since 1954, ASA has developed and led the largest, most diverse community of professionals working in aging in America. As a result, ASA has become the go-to source to cultivate leadership, advance knowledge and strengthen the skills of our members and others who work with and on behalf of older adults.
As we unite, empower and champion our community, we have the unique responsibility to be a strong voice and thought leader on critical systemic issues that influence how we age. As America struggles with how best to respond to the need for greater inclusivity, anti-ageism and equity, ASA sees its responsibility as a leader to drive the discourse and advocate for the change necessary to address these issues in aging.
Caring Across Generations is a national campaign of families, caregivers, people with disabilities, and aging Americans working to transform the way we care in this country. By harnessing the power of online and grassroots organizing and culture change work, we are shifting how our nation values caregiving and calling for policy solutions that enable all of us to live well and age with dignity. For more information, visit http://caringacross.org.