Taking Care of the Caretakers

Samantha, a human resources manager in her early thirties, lives outside Dallas, Texas, with her husband and young child. Like many professionals, she and her husband delayed starting a family to focus on their careers throughout their 20s. However, after experiencing the COVID-19 pandemic, they reassessed their priorities.

“If there’s anything we learned during the pandemic, it’s that life is too short, and we still wanted a family.”

Now, while both have stable, well-paying jobs, Samantha faces an unexpected challenge—balancing parenthood with the demands of frequent work travel. As a manager for a multicity organization, she is required to travel at least once a month to various offices across the U.S.

“The juggling game during travel weeks is often challenging. But I’m fortunate to have a partner with some flexibility, so we make it work.”

However, not every working parent has this flexibility, especially among high earners required to travel for their jobs.

The U.S. is approaching a demographic cliff, with an aging workforce and fewer young workers to replace them. According to Lightcast’s Rising Storm report, between now and 2032, America will add 18 million more consumers who are no longer in the labor force, but fewer than 5 million new workers to replace them. This imbalance—outpacing producers by 4 to 1—poses significant economic challenges.

For decades, the U.S. birth rate has been below the replacement level, declining almost every year since the 1970s. While there are multiple reasons for this trend, the cost of living remains a key factor influencing people’s decisions to delay or forgo having children. Many individuals prioritize career growth to achieve financial stability before starting a family, yet high-earning jobs often come with tradeoffs that make parenting even more challenging.

Lightcast data reveals that only 17 occupations outside of healthcare pay over $150,000 annually with at least 1,000 workers employed nationwide. These high-paying roles are among the most common in the U.S., yet nearly all of them require at least 10% travel, with many demanding 10–20%.

Considering the average full-time employee works 260 days per year, that translates to 26–32 days of travel annually. While this may not seem excessive, coordinating childcare during travel weeks presents a significant challenge—one that disproportionately affects women.

Gender dynamics further complicate work-life balance for high earners. Studies suggest that when women outearn their male partners, they are up to 50% more likely to divorce, increasing the burden of single-parent caregiving. Of the 17 top-earning occupations, 7 have an overrepresentation of women, while 10 are male-dominated.

This imbalance means that many high-earning women face the dual pressure of excelling in their careers while still carrying a disproportionate share of household and caregiving responsibilities.

During and immediately after the pandemic, remote work provided high earners with the ability to maintain their income while achieving better work-life balance. However, as both government and private sector employers push for return-to-office mandates, families are being forced to make difficult choices.

Many professionals are now opting for lower-paying jobs that offer greater flexibility, leaving high-earning roles to single-income households or individuals without children. This shift has long-term implications for workforce participation, economic stability, and demographic trends.

Balancing a high-paying career with family life is an ongoing challenge for many Americans. As demographic shifts reshape the labor market, employers and policymakers must consider how work expectations—especially travel and return-to-office policies—impact workforce participation. Without structural changes, the tradeoffs of high-earning jobs will continue to push talented professionals, particularly parents, toward alternative career paths that prioritize flexibility over financial gain.