New Role, New Paycheck: The Impact on Women's Wages When Becoming a Caregiver for an Aging Parent.

While prior research demonstrates the negative impacts of adult caregiving on women's employment, less research examines how women's employment changes when beginning a new caregiving role. Using data from eight waves of the Health and Retirement Study (2004-2018), I examine changes in women's employment when first transitioning into parental caregiving between the ages of 50-60, by analyzing changes in labor force participation, work hours, and hourly wages. The transition into parental caregiving was not associated with women exiting the workforce or decreasing their work hours. However, caregivers did experience a decrease in inflation-adjusted hourly wages compared to non-caregivers, with the greatest wage penalties associated with high-intensity caregiving situations. Results demonstrate how parental caregiving may act as a shock to women's financial health at a critical career stage. This study highlights the less visible, but detrimental, financial consequences women experience when taking on a family caregiving role.