Analysis published by TUC reveals that women are seven times more likely than men to be out of work due to caring commitments, which includes caring for children and/or elderly or unwell relatives.
It finds that women in their 30s are hardest hit, with one in ten women (more than 450,000) in this age group having to drop out of the jobs market because of the pressures of looking after their family.
To address the gender pay gap and keep women in work, the union body is calling for funded childcare and flexible working rights for all.
The TUC analysis also finds that women are much more likely than men to be working in low-paid jobs, and are far less likely to be in high-paid work.
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