Jessica Calarco is a Sociologist and Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is an award-winning teacher, a leading expert on inequalities in family life and education, and the author of Holding it Together: How Women Became America’s Safety Net.

In this episode, I talk with Jessica about how the U.S. relies on women as an unofficial safety net, burdening them with unpaid and underpaid caregiving roles. We discuss the myths of meritocracy, societal inequalities, and the structural forces pushing women into precarious labor. Jessica also highlights care’s transformative potential, showing how collective care policies could alleviate inequality and foster solidarity. It’s an eye-opening conversation on systemic issues and solutions that prioritize dignity, opportunity, and shared responsibility for all.

In this episode:
(00:00) - Intro
(02:05) - Jessica's background and early lessons on money and entrepreneurship
(05:20) - The research behind 'Holding It Together'
(06:35) - How COVID-19 impacted mothers
(07:36) - Statistics on gender inequality in caregiving
(08:48) - The historical context of the US social safety net
(09:37) - The role of wealthy business owners
(11:20) - Gender dynamics in caregiving
(13:10) - How a weak social safety net impacts women
(17:47) - Cultural differences and gender roles
(19:08) - The false promises of meritocracy
(22:21) - Why hard work doesn’t guarantee success
(24:28) - Building a better social safety net
(28:54) - Are big corporations to blame?
(32:36) - How government and legislation create a precarious workforce
(37:24) - A brighter future for America's overburdened workforce
(41:08) - Jessica's takeaways

Get full show notes and links at https://mindful.money.

ABOUT MINDFUL MONEY:
Do you struggle with money? You’re not alone.

Money is a means, not an end. It’s a necessity of life for sure, but more money does not always guarantee a “good life”. Money enables many aspects of modern life, but as a dominant consideration, it becomes destructive.

The paradox is that more time and energy spent on personal finance does NOT create better outcomes. Unlike many other parts of life, we can’t create better outcomes by being smarter, spending more time, or putting in more effort.

Join Mindful Money author and experienced 40-year investor Jonathan DeYoe as he shares stories from artists, authors, entrepreneurs, and other advisors about how they mindfully minimize their need to think about money and get more out of life.

If you aren’t happy with your finances, feel like money takes more time than it should, or want to place your financial decisions into the broader context of your life, this show is for you.

Each episode will draw the line between the “enough” activities that the academics tell us are additive to family outcomes, and those “little bit more” efforts that take time and sap energy but do NOT improve outcomes.

CONNECT WITH JESSICA:
Website: https://www.jessicacalarco.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-calarco-93085928/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jessica.mccrorycalarco
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jesscalarco/
X / Twitter: https://x.com/JessicaCalarco

MINDFUL MONEY RESOURCES:
Website: https://mindful.money
Jonathan DeYoe on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathandeyoe
Mindful Money on X / Twitter: https://x.com/MindfulMoney_Ed
Mindful Money on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MindfulMoneyPlan
Mindful Money on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mindfulmoneyplan
Mindful Money on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MindfulMoney

🎙️Podcast Production by Turncast: https://turncast.com.