UnidosUS Joint Report: Most Latino Family Caregivers Work the Equivalent of 20 Unpaid Hours a Week

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Report details financial burden on Latino caregivers during pandemic

WASHINGTON, DC— Latino family caregivers face more financial and logistical burdens during the COVID-19 pandemic than non-Hispanics, according to a new report from the UNC Center for Community Capital and UnidosUS, the nation’s largest Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization. The report, titled “The True Costs of Home Care: The Impacts on Working Latino Caregivers,” is an in-depth look at how Latinos have been forced to cope with caring for loved ones during already demanding times.

More than a third of Latino households have someone at home caring for an adult relative or friend, compared to just 25% of non-Latino households. In addition, most Latino caregivers (54%) say they must commit to more than 20 hours of unpaid care each week.

The lopsided monetary strain is not in Latinos favor either, as 21% say they give financial assistance to an aging parent while already supporting a child, compared to just 5% of Whites reporting the same.

“Latino caregivers are essential to families and always under pressure to balance work and support for others, a herculean effort during the pandemic,” said Eric Rodriguez, Senior Vice President of Policy and Advocacy at UnidosUS. “As this report shows, Latinos find themselves in a range of caregiving situations during the crises with personal, financial, and non-financial implications on them and often without much support. It’s critical that lawmakers expand access to paid family leave to help reduce the financial burden on these caregivers and ease the stress on families.”

Researchers conducted 14 interviews with Latino family caregivers in three different locations across the U.S.: New York City, Los Angeles and Raleigh, North Carolina.

The full report is available to read here.