We Need a New Economic Category

If you think about it, this work of caring for our children as nannies, or our aging parents as homecare workers, is some of the most profound and important work in our lives. We call it the work that makes everything else possible, because it makes it possible for all of us to go out and do what we do every day, knowing that some of the most preci... See more

Welcome to the $648 billion care economy—the money we spend to care for our loved ones, from their first breath to their last. There are four dynamic areas of growth in the sector: (1) Child care. It’s a $136 billion market that’s desperate for supply and ripe for disruption and innovation. (2) Workplace. Forty-two percent of employers plan to add ... See more

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

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