Family care of elderly parents is increasing. The typical caregiver is a married middle-aged daughter who often has additional employment and family responsibilities. Not surprisingly, female caregivers of the elderly report more stress than male caregivers. This study examined perceptions of the nurturance, professional competence and stresses of women and men described as providing either 1-2 or 5-6 daily caregiving hours to elderly parents, and as either reducing their employment hours to provide such care or working full-time. College student raters (N=160), aged 18-24 years, evaluated one of eight employed married adults described as either female or male, as providing 1-2 or 5-6 caregiving hours daily to elderly parents, and as either reducing employment hours to provide such care or working full-time. Caregivers employed full-time were seen as more professionally competent but more stressed than those working reduced hours. Full-time employment diminished perceptions of women's nurturance; reduced employment hours lowered evaluations of men's professional competence. Men who reduced employment hours and provided more care were viewed more positively than comparable women. This finding may exemplify the tendency to magnify the performance of an unanticipated behavior. (ABL)