International Women’s Day 2025: Caregiving Remains Deeply Gendered

Held annually on 8 March, International Women’s Day is a global celebration of women’s achievements. At Pal, we want to honour the millions of female caregivers that provide countless hours of unpaid care to family members experiencing life-limiting illness.

Globally, caregiving remains gendered, with women making up between 52-66% of unpaid caregivers. Many provide up to 20 hours a week of care, often juggling these responsibilities alongside parenting and work commitments.

Unpaid caregiving has a significant impact on women’s careers. Women are seven times more likely to be out of work due to caring responsibilities, and 45% of women (in contrast to only 5% of men) cite caring responsibilities as their reason for leaving the workforce. This imbalance has financial consequences for women, from an increased need for unpaid leave or smaller contributions to pension pots, leaving around 60% of carers finding it difficult to ‘make ends meet’.

At Pal, we understand the reality of caring for a loved one experiencing a life-limiting illness. We’ve been there. Our co-founder Nara took three months of unpaid leave to care for her mom after a cancer diagnosis. We know firsthand the time demands and overall impact of caregiving.

That’s why we built Pal.

But today isn’t about Pal – it’s about the millions of female caregivers providing unpaid, and often invisible, care on a daily basis. We want to take a few moments to recognise these incredible women, and we hope you can too.

If there’s a caregiver in your life, show your appreciation in a meaningful way. Offer practical help, whether sharing responsibilities with another family member or advocating for a flexible work policy at your place of work. Most importantly, we must challenge the outdated notion that caregiving is solely a women’s role, and foster a more balanced future for caregivers.

Join us this International Women’s Day to celebrate the millions of women around the world giving their time and energy to caregiving.

We see you. We celebrate you.