RTO Mandates Force Caregivers Out Of Work-Here’s How To Reverse Course
Two-thirds of CEOs say RTO mandates have led to a disproportionate number of women leaving their jobs.
getty
In just two years, men have overtaken women as the majority of working caregivers in America. According to dental insurance company Guardian’s 14th annual workplace benefits study titled “ From Workforce to ‘Careforce ,’” in 2023, 56% of women workers and 44% of male workers were caregivers. By 2025, those numbers flipped: 43% of women and 57% of men were juggling work with at-home caregiving responsibilities.
Women Are Leaving Jobs to Take On Unpaid Caregiving Responsibilities
This isn’t because fewer women took on caregiving roles in 2025 than in 2023 while remaining in the workforce. In fact, the report finds the opposite to be true. More women are likely leaving the workforce to take on unpaid caregiving responsibilities. According to Guardian’s report, women are five times more likely than men to say they aren’t working due to caregiving responsibilities. Previous OECD research reinforces this trend, showing that in the U.S., U.K. and Japan, among other countries, roughly two-thirds of informal caregivers were women over the age of 50.
Meanwhile, the household savings rate fell from its long-term average of 8.9% to 4.5% this past June as care costs have soared over the last several years. According to Guardian’s report, with more families unable to afford paid elder or child care, they’re forced to take on these responsibilities themselves.
Rigid RTO Mandates Are Pushing Women Caregivers Out of the Workforce
The pandemic laid bare the challenges working parents—especially mothers—have to contend with when outside childcare is no longer an option. Indeed, as schools and day cares shuttered, women left the workforce in droves to care for their families. In the midst of what was dubbed the she-cession, this author delved into the numbers and found telling patterns: with each new threat of closures, women’s job recovery stalled and even reversed while men’s hiring surged forward.
Notwithstanding the pandemic’s immense challenges, we did glean some positive changes. For one, remote work became far more common and normalized, allowing many women to enter or remain in the workforce by making it more feasible to manage caregiving responsibilities alongside their careers. Yet despite the clear benefit for working families, companies such as Amazon, J.P. Morgan and Goldman Sachs are now implementing rigid, five-day return-to-office mandates that are likely to leave workers with fewer and pricier options, ultimately making it more difficult to balance work with home responsibilities.
Given previous patterns, the consequences of this are unsurprising. Guardian’s report found that two-thirds of CEOs say RTO mandates have led to a disproportionate number of women leaving their jobs. Recent RTO mandates are likely forcing women to choose between maintaining their careers and fulfilling caregiving responsibilities, a tradeoff that risks reversing years of progress in women’s workforce participation.
The Business Case for Women’s Career Advancement
As previously reported , having women in leadership is a key differentiator for top-performing companies. Since 2021, top-performing companies have increased their share of women in leadership by an average of seven percentage points, while low-performing companies have made less progress.
Empowering women’s careers is not just an equity issue; it’s a business imperative. When fewer women remain in the workforce, fewer advance into critical leadership roles, ultimately undermining company performance and bottom lines.
How Companies Can Better Support Women Caregivers
Foremost, leaders should consider avoiding one-size-fits-all approaches when constructing business policies, such as company-wide RTO mandates, and instead adapt active listening strategies .
No two employees’ needs are the same. As this author has written in the past, while remote work can sometimes hinder women early in their careers, for others, particularly caregivers and people with disabilities, it can be essential to remaining in the workforce. There’s even variation between different types of caregivers. According to Guardian’s report, 57% of caregivers provide care to an elderly parent or relative, 36% to a spouse, and 36% to children under the age of 18, with each having unique demands and support needs. By actively listening and avoiding blanket policies, leaders can create a more inclusive and supportive workplace for every single employee.
For instance, in its report, Guardian recommends employers offer child care benefits (such as backup child care or day care), flexible work scheduling, and paid leave so employees can choose what works best for them. The report also suggests that companies offer personalized caregiving support services that encompass “all phases of life,” which could include “managing their own personal health, caring for aging loved ones, raising a family, supporting someone with complex needs, or navigating end of life and loss.”
As more women exit the workforce to shoulder unpaid caregiving responsibilities, companies risk losing critical talent and leadership potential that directly impacts their bottom lines. Thankfully, the solution is straightforward: flexible work arrangements, comprehensive caregiving benefits, and policies built on active listening rather than rigid mandates can help women caregivers stay in the workforce and allow all workers to be at their best. Companies that adapt to support caregivers across all walks of life will keep more women working and their businesses thriving.
Information contained on this page is provided by an independent third-party content provider. This website make no warranties or representations in connection therewith. If you are affiliated with this page and would like it removed please contact editor @producerpress.com
