Abstract
Individuals who care for loved ones (including children, elders, and people with disabilities) can find those duties can be barriers to finding employment or satisfactory work/life balance. Culture plays a role in determining how caregiving burden is perceived and allocated and may affect what kinds of support and outreach employed caregivers would most benefit from or welcome. The global pandemic has caused disruptions in employment, education, and care facilities, and could be seen as affecting caregivers to a greater extent than those without personal caregiving obligations. This project explored experiences and attitudes of working-class Northern Californians through a survey conducted by UNITE HERE Local 49, Sacramento’s chapter of hospitality workers. The results showed that people who were caregivers were significantly more likely to be unemployed. The small number and wide diversity of respondents did not allow any further conclusions to be drawn. However, this diversity would make the area a good place to attempt a larger study to see if more cultural information on the subject could be obtained. The project also provides valuable information on the percentages of people in the workplace, or desiring to be in the workplace, who care for children, elders, or people with disabilities, as well as some of their attitudes and desired supports.