Consensus Study Report
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This activity was supported by contracts between the National Academy of Sciences and the Doris Duke Foundation, Henry Luce Foundation, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, National Institute of Standards and Technology, National Institutes of Health (HHSN263201800029I), and U.S. National Science Foundation. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of any organization or agency that provided support for the project.
International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-309-71358-0
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Digital Object Identifier: https://doi.org/10.17226/27416
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Suggested citation: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2024. Supporting Family Caregivers in STEMM: A Call to Action. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/27416.
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COMMITTEE ON POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR SUPPORTING CAREGIVERS WORKING IN SCIENCE, ENGINEERING, AND MEDICINE
ELENA FUENTES-AFFLICK, M.D., M.P.H. (Chair) (NAM),1 Professor of Pediatrics, University of California, San Francisco; Vice Dean, UCSF School of Medicine at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center
MARIANNE BERTRAND, Ph.D. (NAS), Chris P. Dialynas Distinguished Service Professor of Economics, University of Chicago; Research Fellow, National Bureau of Economic Research, Center for Economic Policy Research, and Institute for the Study of Labor
MARY BLAIR-LOY, Ph.D., Professor of Sociology, University of California, San Diego; Co-Director, Center for Research on Gender in STEMM
KATHLEEN CHRISTENSEN, Ph.D., Faculty Fellow, Boston College Center for Social Innovation; Founder/Director, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Program on Workplace, Workforce and Working Families Program
J. NICHOLAS DIONNE-ODOM, Ph.D., R.N., Associate Professor of Nursing, University of Alabama at Birmingham; Co-Director, Bereavement Support Services, UAB Center for Palliative and Supportive Care
MIGNON DUFFY, Ph.D., Professor of Sociology, University of Massachusetts Lowell
JEFFREY GILLIS-DAVIS, Ph.D., Professor of Physics, Washington University in St. Louis
RESHMA JAGSI, M.D., D.Phil., Chair, Department of Radiation Oncology, Emory University and Winship Cancer Institute
ELLEN ERNST KOSSEK, Ph.D., Basil S. Turner Distinguished Professor, Mitchell E. Daniels Jr. School of Business, Purdue University; Former President, Work-Family Researchers Network
LINDSEY MALCOM-PIQUEUX, Ph.D., Assistant Vice President for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Assessment and Chief Institutional Research Officer, California Institute of Technology
___________________
1 Designates membership in the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), National Academy of Engineering (NAE), or National Academy of Medicine (NAM).
SANDRA KAZAHN MASUR, Ph.D., Professor of Ophthalmology and of Pharmacological Sciences and Director, Office for Women’s Careers, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
MARIA ONG, Ph.D., Senior Research Scientist, TERC
ROBERT L. PHILLIPS, JR., M.D., M.S.P.H. (NAM), Founding Executive Director, The Center for Professionalism and Value in Health Care
JASON RESENDEZ, President and CEO, National Alliance for Caregiving
HANNAH VALANTINE, M.D., M.B.B.S. (NAM), Professor of Medicine, Stanford University; Inaugural Chief Officer for Scientific Workforce Diversity, National Institutes of Health
JOAN WILLIAMS, J.D., Sullivan Professor of Law and Founding Director, Center for WorkLife Law, University of California Hastings College of the Law, San Francisco
Staff
KATHERINE WULLERT, Ph.D., Study Director and Program Officer, Committee on Women in Science, Engineering, and Medicine
ASHLEY BEAR, Ph.D., Director, Committee on Women in Science, Engineering, and Medicine
ABIGAIL HARLESS, Research Associate, Committee on Women in Science, Engineering, and Medicine
PAMELA LAVA, Senior Program Assistant, Committee on Women in Science, Engineering, and Medicine
Consultants
NGOC DAO, Ph.D., Associate Professor, College of Business and Public Management, Kean University
ERIN FRAWLEY, M.Ed., Education Equity Program Manager, Center for WorkLife Law
JESSICA LEE, J.D., Senior Staff Attorney, Center for WorkLife Law; Director, Pregnant Scholar Initiative
ASHLEY LOWE, M.P.H., Researcher, Transformative Research Unit for Equity, RTI International
JENNIFER LUNDQUIST, Ph.D., Associate Dean of Research and Faculty Development and Professor of Sociology, University of Massachusetts Amherst
TASSELI MCKAY, Ph.D., Researcher, Transformative Research Unit for Equity, RTI International
JOYA MISRA, Ph.D., Provost Professor and Roy J. Zuckerberg Endowed Leadership Chair, Department of Sociology, University of Massachusetts Amherst
JOANNA RICCITELLI, Ph.D. Candidate in Sociology, University of Massachusetts Amherst
MONICA SHEPPARD, M.S.W., Co-Director, Emerging Equities Scholar Program, Transformative Research Unit for Equity, RTI International
SARAH STOLLER, Ph.D., Freelance Writer, Editor, and Research Consultant
COURTNEY VAN HOUTVEN, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Population Health Science, Duke University
COMMITTEE ON WOMEN IN SCIENCE, ENGINEERING, AND MEDICINE
GILDA BARABINO, Ph.D. (Chair) (NAE, NAM), President and Professor of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering, Olin College
SANDRA BEGAY, M.S., Principal Member of the Technical Staff, Sandia National Laboratories
JOAN WENNSTROM BENNET, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor of Plant Biology and Pathology, Rutgers University
MAY R. BERENBAUM, Ph.D., Professor and Head of Entomology and Professor of Plant Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
VALERIE CONN, Founder and Principal, Future Science Now
LESLIE D. GONZALES, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Higher, Adult, and Lifelong Learning Unit, College of Education, Michigan State University
EVELYNN M. HAMMONDS, Ph.D., Barbara Guttman Rosenkrantz Professor of the History of Science and of African and African American Studies, Harvard University
RESHMA JAGSI, M.D., D.Phil., Chair, Department of Radiation Oncology, Emory University and Winship Cancer Institute
HILLARY LAPPIN-SCOTT, Ph.D., Honorary Distinguished Professor of Microbiology, Cardiff University
MANUEL PÉREZ-QUIÑONES, Ph.D., Professor of Software and Information Systems, University of North Carolina at Charlotte
REED V. TUCKSON, M.D., F.A.C.P., Managing Director, Tuckson Health Connections, LLC
ELENA FUENTES-AFFLICK, M.D., M.P.H. (Ex-officio member) (NAM), Professor of Pediatrics, University of California, San Francisco; Vice Dean, UCSF School of Medicine at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center
CAROL K. HALL, Ph.D. (Ex-officio member) (NAE), Distinguished University Professor of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, North Carolina State University
SUSAN R. WESSLER, Ph.D. (Ex-officio member) (NAS), Distinguished Professor of Genetics and Neil and Rochelle Campbell Chair for Innovation in Science Education, University of California, Riverside
Reviewers
This Consensus Study Report was reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in making each published report as sound as possible and to ensure that it meets the institutional standards for quality, objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process.
We thank the following individuals for their review of this report:
Although the reviewers listed above provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the conclusions or recommendations of this report nor did they see the final draft before its release. The review of this report was overseen by JOAN BENNETT, Rutgers University–New Brunswick, and BETTY FERRELL, City of Hope National Medical Center. They were responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance with the standards of the National Academies and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content rests entirely with the authoring committee and the National Academies.
Preface
Most of us have firsthand experience with caregiving, yet family caregiving remains a taboo topic in many sectors of academic science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine (STEMM). Faculty, researchers, staff, students, and trainees manage a range of caregiving responsibilities, yet caregiving is rarely discussed in the workplace and the policies to support family caregivers are often limited.
Beginning in January 2023, the Committee on Policies and Practices for Supporting Family Caregivers Working in Science, Engineering, and Medicine of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine convened to address the issues experienced by caregivers in academic STEMM. Throughout the process of preparing this report, the universality and challenges of caregiving were abundantly clear. Caregiving responsibilities arose at multiple instances during the process, whether committee members or staff members needed to care for sick parents, provide care for children or grandchildren, or balance childcare and everyday work. Speakers shared their caregiving experiences related to sick relatives and caregiving at a distance during our public symposia held in February and March of 2023. These experiences underscored the need for the committee’s evaluation and highlighted the challenge of making effective, actionable recommendations.
The committee’s work was grounded in the goals of the National Academies’ Committee on Women in Science, Engineering, and Medicine (CWSEM), which championed this project. As framed by CWSEM, there is no single prototype for the role of family caregiver, but women,
particularly women of color, are disproportionately affected by caregiving responsibilities. Thus, advancing gender and racial equity in STEMM requires addressing the needs and challenges of family caregiving. It is our hope that addressing the needs of family caregivers will promote equity and ensure a more flexible, inclusive, and welcoming environment for everyone in the academic STEMM workforce.
This report is the culmination of 18 months of work from an engaged, diverse committee of experts who demonstrated a deep commitment to family caregiving. Our work would not have been possible without the support of the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, and the Henry Luce Foundation. These sponsors provided resources to the committee as well as their time and expertise throughout the committee’s deliberations.
The committee hopes that the report stimulates discussion and ignites more care about caregiving through action at societal, governmental, and institutional levels.
I hope that this report will motivate leaders, colleges, and universities to foster and facilitate greater discussion of caregiving in academic STEMM, ensure that their policies and practices support family caregivers, and accelerate progress toward an optimal STEMM workplace. Ultimately, we seek broad, lasting culture change to support family caregivers.
Elena Fuentes-Afflick, Chair
Committee on Policies and Practices for Supporting Family
Caregivers Working in Science, Engineering, and Medicine
Contents
Activities to Inform the Report
2 OVERVIEW OF UNPAID FAMILY CAREGIVING
What Is Family Caregiving? A Typology of Care
Rising National Trends in Family Caregiving Needs
The Impact of Caregiving and the Challenges Faced by Caregivers
Summary of Findings from Chapter 2
3 CAREGIVING CHALLENGES AND IMPLICATIONS FOR EQUITY IN STEMM
Ideal Worker Norm and Work Devotion Schema in STEMM
Consequences of Ideal Worker and Work Devotion Norms to STEMM Innovation and Vitality
Impacts of COVID-19: Exacerbating Longstanding Inequities in the Provision of Care
Balancing the Benefits and Drawbacks of Ideal Worker Norms
Summary of Findings from Chapter 3
4 CURRENT LAWS, POLICIES, AND PRACTICES TO SUPPORT FAMILY CAREGIVERS
Current Federal and State Laws
Federal Agencies’ and Other Funders’ Policies Supporting Caregivers
Accreditation and Certification Boards
Summary of Findings from Chapter 4
5 BARRIERS TO EFFECTIVE POLICY IMPLEMENTATION
Lack of Attention to Intersectionality
Summary of Findings from Chapter 5
6 BEST PRACTICES FOR COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES
Foundational Minimums for Legal Compliance
Best Practices for Institutional Policies
Cultural Shifts to Challenge Ideal Worker Norms
Summary of Findings from Chapter 6
7 INNOVATIVE APPROACHES TO CAREER FLEXIBILITY
Innovative Approaches to Promote Workplace Flexibility
Summary of Findings from Chapter 7
8 RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSIONS
Recommendations for Colleges and Universities
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Boxes, Figures, and Tables
BOXES
1-2 Titles and Positions Within Academic STEMM
6-2 Examples in Action: Make Policies and Resources Easy to Find and Access
6-3 Best Practices Related to Caregiving Leave Checklist
6-4 Examples in Action: Retaining Clinical Scientists
6-5 Best Practices for Policies Related to Accommodations and Adjustments Checklist
6-6 Examples in Action: Supporting Postdoctoral Caregivers
6-7 Best Practices for Policies Related to Direct Care Support Checklist
6-8 Example in Action: Backup Care
6-9 Example in Action: Supporting Pregnant and Parenting Students
6-10 Best Practices for Caring for Adult Dependents Checklist
6-11 Example in Action: Supporting Graduate Student and Trainee Caregivers
6-12 Example in Action: Adult Care
7-1 Reimagined Academy: Alternative Visions of Academic Success
7-2 Reimagined Academy: Care-Centered Academic Workplace Norms
FIGURES
TABLES
2-1 Causal Effects of Caregiving on Key Economic Outcomes
4-1 Federal and State Legal Protections for Employees
