The woman's voice. Social policy should be gender specific

The burdens of the elderly cannot be fully understood in a nonfeminist framework--that is, one that does not consider women's special concerns--for these burdens fall primarily on women. Surprisingly little attention has been given to the woman's voice in discussions of the aging society, but times are changing. Elaine M. Brody defines "women in the middle" as those who care for a parent or parent-in-law while also fulfilling parental duties and possibly working outside the home. Even the traditionalist who stridently affirms filial caretaking must recognize that these duties have limits. Obligations to one's parents or parents-in-law, to one's children, and to oneself can conflict. Some dismiss the need to develop support programs for family caretakers. Familial care for the elderly is the ideal. Government can assist families, however, without being invasive. The fastest way to deplete caring is not to care for the care giver. This debate is not gender neutral. Those in need of respite are most often women. Feminist and nonfeminist women soon will find common cause in supporting new policies that ease the burdens of family caretaking.