Stuck between childcare and eldercare: how the fastest-growing group of moms is being forced out of work
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By now, we’ve all heard that working moms are magic. But the latest research from the University of Phoenix Career Institute® and Motherly makes one thing heartbreakingly clear: Even magic has its limits.
The 2025 Career Optimism Special Report™ Series: Moms in the Sandwich Generation found that 51% of sandwich generation moms—those caring for both children and aging parents—have quit a job due to caregiving pressures. Let that sink in: More than half of these women had to make the devastating choice between career and caregiving.
And it’s not a niche issue anymore. With 56% of moms anticipating they’ll soon be in dual-caregiving roles, this is quickly becoming the new normal, and workplaces are absolutely not ready.
A Career Feels Like a Luxury
The study paints a deeply personal and painful picture of modern motherhood. 62% of sandwich moms say having a career feels like a luxury, compared to 49% of moms without eldercare duties. Even more troubling, 60% want a career but feel it’s out of reach.
Time—already a scarce resource for any mom—is practically non-existent when you’re juggling pediatrician visits and navigating your parents’ Medicare paperwork. Sandwich moms use 64% of their sick and PTO days for caregiving, and nearly 70% have dipped into savings to support their families.
And for these moms, burnout isn’t a buzzword. It’s their everyday reality.
The Financial and Emotional Toll
While dual-caregiving should come with a superhero cape, it mostly comes with financial stress and exhaustion. Sandwich moms spend over half their paycheck, 52%, on caregiving costs. That’s more than double the 23% non-sandwich moms spend.
They’re also significantly more likely to feel stressed (59%), frustrated (36%), and isolated (29%).
If it feels like the system is set up to fail these women, it’s because it is. Flexible work policies, caregiver leave, and accessible support programs remain rare luxuries rather than standard practice.
Why This Matters (Spoiler: It’s Not Just About Moms)
Here’s the real kicker: this isn’t just a “mom problem.” It’s a workforce problem.
When half of a rising employee demographic feels they must choose family over career, businesses face talent loss, lower retention, and future leadership gaps. As Ruth Veloria, Chief Strategy Officer at University of Phoenix, put it: “More thoughtful support systems are essential—not just to help caregivers stay connected to their careers, but to safeguard the long-term health and resilience of the workforce itself.”
And Liz Tenety, Motherly’s co-founder, reminds us that this is personal: “As an emerging sandwich generation mom myself, I know first-hand the emotional load of feeling like you have to be everything to everyone. It’s unsustainable and it’s time workplaces evolved to recognize that.”
The Time to Act Is Now
This report is a wake-up call: Dual-caregiving is not a ‘special case,’ it’s the future of the workforce.
Employers who want to survive (and thrive) will need to stop seeing caregiving as a personal problem and start treating it as the critical infrastructure issue it is, through flexible schedules, caregiver support, and upskilling opportunities.
Because moms deserve more than a choice between a paycheck and caring for the people they love.
They deserve a system that finally has their back.