People who take responsibility for looking after someone or something, like a property manager or someone who cares for elderly relatives.
From 'care' (Old English carian) combined with 'taker' (from take), forming a compound meaning 'one who takes care.' The word became common in English to describe various guardian roles.
Caretakers are usually invisible in our society—we don't notice the building caretaker or the elderly caretaker until something goes wrong, which is exactly why some research suggests caretakers experience more burnout and mental health challenges than people in more celebrated jobs.
Historically feminized role with language naturalized around women, obscuring systemic underpayment and devaluation of care work as 'women's work'.
Use 'caretakers', 'care workers', or 'caregivers' neutrally; acknowledge that all genders perform care equally and deserve equal recognition and compensation.
["care workers","caregivers","support staff"]
Care work—child care, elder care, health support—has been systematically devalued as women's unpaid or low-wage labor; men and all genders contribute equally to care.
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