Adult Sons Perceptions of Care

• From a study, with face-to-face interviews with 19 caregiving men that provides care for an elderly parents or in-law, this presentation will bring attention to men’s perceptions of care and caregiving. The literature on family caregiving as well as the theoretical debate on the concept of care, has focused almost exclusively on women. This focus has meant that although gender analysis are not uncommon in the literature in question, gender tends to be equated with womanhood. This because women are assumed to engage in more care work than men and that women are seen as natural care providers. This means that women’s experiences and definitions of care work have guided much gerontological scholarship, and have provided the standards against which men’s experiences are compared. However, the men interviewed in this study emphasizes that caregiving is natural and that caregiving is a part of their personality. Some of them stressed also that they felt that the ability to provide care comes natural to them and is a part of their identity even if they acknowledged that caregiving and manhood are not considered to be synonymous. Several of the interviewed men also connect their caregiving responsibility to the experience of being fathers. They stressed that being able to respond to someone’s care needs is not something that only women can do. This suggests that while being a caregiver is a part of these caregiving men’s identity, this does not only challenge gender and masculinity norms, it also challenges the norms of caregiving.

Subject headings

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Annan samhällsvetenskap -- Genusstudier (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Other Social Sciences -- Gender Studies (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Social Work

Socialt arbete

Gender Studies

Genusvetenskap

Publication and Content Type

vet (subject category)

kon (subject category)