The number of Americans providing care for loved ones has tripled since 1987. More than seven in 10 caregivers are women, and more than six in 10 work outside the home. According to a recent survey, professional women bear the greatest burden as caregivers, and receive little support from employers.

The survey revealed that professional women who care for loved ones internalize the issues they face, thus causing intense stress (89%) and affecting their personal lives (83%) and job performance (68%).

"Corporate America needs to pay greater attention to eldercare’s impact on its work force and ultimately on the bottom line," said Maryann Timon, senior vice president of Genesis Eldercare. Only 19% of employers provide "a great deal" of support for caregivers, even though 95% of professional women said they want their employers to offer eldercare benefits.

Of the benefits commonly available, professional women named the following as those they would most like to see:

1. 64% -- Eldercare benefits on par with childcare benefits;
2. 64% -- Easier access to flex-time and other arrangements to allow for emergencies;
3. 60% -- Pre-tax spending accounts that could cover some unreimbursed eldercare expenses;
4. 53% -- access to services that take over the more stressful or time-consuming tasks of caregiving.