Mothers’ work outside the home, whatever form that takes, is directly tied to their participation in public life.

American society values work in terms of how much we produce, and how efficiently we can do it. It tells us that our output is our worth. Caregiving, conversely, is inefficient. But it pays dividends. If we were to think about work in terms of our humanity—making people feel dignified, valued, and whole—then caregiving is the most important work we

The economy could stand to bend to the will of decency and care. What if we built a system that lets us actually care for the people who care for us?