Written by By: Dr. Stephanie Diana Eubank DBA
March is Women’s History Month, a time to reflect not only on the achievements of women throughout history, but also on the systems and structures that either support or hinder women today. One of the most transformative shifts in the modern workforce has been the rise of remote work. For many women, especially those balancing professional responsibilities with unpaid caregiving, remote work is not a perk, it is an essential accommodation that makes workforce participation possible.
Research consistently shows that women perform the majority of unpaid caregiving labor in the United States. According to the National Partnership for Women & Families (2025), women account for approximately two-thirds of all unpaid caregiving, contributing nearly 300 hours per year on average to caring for children, spouses, aging parents, and family members with disabilities. This labor is economically significant, valued at over $1.1 trillion annually, yet it remains largely invisible and unsupported by traditional workplace structures.
Unpaid caregiving has direct consequences for women’s careers and financial security. Studies from the U.S. Department of Labor (2023) indicate that women, particularly older women, are more likely to reduce work hours, decline promotions, or exit the workforce entirely due to caregiving responsibilities. These career interruptions compound gender pay gaps, reduce retirement security, and limit leadership representation. Without flexibility, many women are forced to make an impossible choice between providing care and maintaining meaningful employment.
Remote work has emerged as one of the most effective tools for supporting working caregivers. Flexible, location-independent roles allow women to integrate paid work with caregiving responsibilities in ways that rigid office-based schedules do not. Research from S&P Global and AARP (2024) shows that caregivers with access to flexible or remote work are more likely to remain employed, report better work-life balance, and experience less stress when managing competing demands. Remote work does not eliminate caregiving labor, but it reduces the structural penalties associated with it.
The tech industry offers an important historical case study in how workplace policy decisions can disproportionately impact women. In 2013, Yahoo became the first major technology company to mandate a full return to the office, eliminating remote work options under then-CEO Marissa Mayer. This decision, one of the earliest high-profile return-to-office mandates, had ripple effects across Silicon Valley and disproportionately affected women, particularly working mothers and caregivers who relied on flexibility to remain in tech roles (Time, 2013; CNBC, 2013). Rather than improving equity or innovation, the policy was widely criticized for pushing women out of the workforce at a moment when remote work was offering new pathways into it.
More than a decade later, the lesson from Yahoo’s 2013 decision remains relevant. When organizations remove flexibility, women leave, not because they lack ambition or skill, but because systems are designed around an outdated assumption of who work is for. Remote work challenges that assumption by recognizing that productivity and professionalism are not tied to physical presence, but to outcomes, trust, and accessibility.
On a personal level, I know that remote work has fundamentally shaped my ability to succeed both as a professional and as a mother. I would not be the mother I am today without remote work. The flexibility to attend appointments, respond to family needs, and still show up fully in my career has allowed me to build a life that does not require constant sacrifice of one role for another. Remote work did not lower my standards—it raised my capacity. It allowed me to be present, engaged, and sustainable in ways that traditional office environments never did.
As we honor Women’s History Month, it is critical to recognize remote work as a continuation of women’s advocacy, not a trend, but a structural advancement. Supporting remote and flexible work is one way organizations can acknowledge the realities of unpaid caregiving, retain skilled women in the workforce, and contribute to long-term gender equity. The future of work must be designed with women, caregivers, and families in mind, because when work works for women, it works better for everyone.
References
AARP & S&P Global. (2024). Working while caregiving: It’s complicated. https://www.aarp.org/press/releases/2024-5-16-us-workforce-report-70-caregivers-difficulty-balancing-career-caregiving-responsibilities.html
National Partnership for Women & Families. (2025). Unpaid caregiving in the U.S. valued at more than $1.1 trillion. https://nationalpartnership.org/news_post/unpaid-caregiving-valued-at-more-than-1-trillion-per-new-analysis/
U.S. Department of Labor, Women’s Bureau. (2023). Older women and unpaid caregiving in the United States. https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/WB/WBIssueBrief-OlderWomenAndUnpaidCaregiving.pdf
Time Magazine. (2013, February 26). Memo read round the world: Yahoo says no to working at home. https://business.time.com/2013/02/26/memo-read-round-the-world-yahoo-says-no-to-working-at-home/
CNBC. (2013, February 22). Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer cracks down on remote workers. https://www.cnbc.com/2013/02/22/yahoo-ceo-marissa-mayer-cracks-down-on-remote-workers-report.html
If you enjoy this content like and subscribe. Additionally, if you are interested in consulting services, please feel free to reach out to me through my social media channels. Remember remote is here to stay.
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Wickedbofthewest
Website: wickedbofthewestremoteconsulting.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WickedBoftheWestBusinessConsulting
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wickedbofthewestconsulting/
Blog: drstephaniebeardbaremoteresearch.org
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-diana-eubank-dba/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@stephanie.eubank6
New Website: wickedbofthewestconsulting.com
Email: Drstephaniedeubank@wickedbofthewestconsulting.coma/
TikTok: @stephaniedianaeubank
New Website: wickedbofthewestconsulting.comtconsulting.com
Dr. Stephanie Diana Eubank DBA Remote Team Research (AKA Dr. Bear) 