A growing number of working women in the U.S. are retiring early due to mental health issues. While men also work hard, women carry most of the burden at home. Raising children, planning schedules, managing the household, caring for ill family members, and helping with grandchildren are all tasks that typically fall to the woman – even when both partners work outside of the home. This combined workload can lead to burnt out and cause women to retire earlier than planned.

Caregiving is a major part of the problem and, unless societal expectations change, practical support is needed. Time recently examined whether AI could relieve some of the mental burden of caregiving. Their article mentioned Care AI, a platform used by both the public and professionals to monitor patients and coordinate care. Tools like this may help women who regularly take time away from work to care for sick children, spouses, and parents. After exhausting their sick leave, they are often forced to tap into their vacation days. That time away from the workplace is not a break; it’s being spent performing a different kind of work that can be mentally and often physically draining. 

This burnout is affecting grandmothers too. Many want to spend time with their grandchildren, but not all want to care for their grandchildren full-time. Yet childcare costs and feelings of personal obligation can push them into that role, often at the expense of their dream retirement. Could AI help grandmothers avoid “depleted grandmother syndrome”? 

There is a limit to what AI can do. By helping caregivers manage schedules, communicate with family, monitor remotely, and coordinate care, AI may make a better work-life balance possible. Yet only a human being can step in to lend a hand or offer physical comfort. Relieving a caregiver of her duty for a day - or simply offering her a hug - would do a lot more for her mental health than AI ever could.