Holding it Together: How Women Became America's Safety Net

Join Better Life Lab and the CareForce to discuss Jessica Calarco’s new book, “Holding It Together: How Women Became America’s Safety Net.” Calarco, who works as an associate professor of sociology at the University of Wisconsin, made headlines in November 2020 when her quote: “Other countries have social safety nets; the U.S. has women” went viral. It resonated with so many people while still getting to the heart of what makes being a caregiver in this country so incredibly frustrating - it’s hard, it’s time-consuming, and we’re expected to do it while being given no support, financial or otherwise.

This conversation will delve into the reasons that caretakers in this country feel that so much pressure rests on their shoulders and too many expectations are heaped onto them. The United States does not have a robust social safety net the way many other industrialized countries do. We have no federal child care infrastructure and no federal paid family leave plan. In our conversation, we will explore why that is, how the lack of such systems hurts families, and what we can do about it.

This online fireside chat will be introduced by Eve Rodsky, author and founder of the Fair Play Policy Institute and Calarco will be interviewed by Rebecca Gale of Better Life Lab.

About The Better Life Lab and CareForce:

The Better Life Lab at New America works to change narratives and shape equitable public policy, workplace practice, and cultural attitudes through solutions-focused research, compelling multimedia journalism, thought leadership, and practical tools. We share with broad audiences to elevate the value of care, intersectional gender equity, and work-family justice and well-being, particularly for those most disadvantaged by the status quo.

The CareForce is a driving force in reimagining how we care. We are a group of 350+ builders, advocates, funders, storytellers, and researchers across public, private and social sectors. Our mission is to work together to transform and elevate care in all of its forms. We seek to do this through narrative and political change, care research, care policy, and the care economy.