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Supporting carers: is practice still sexist?
1School of Health and Social Sciences, Coventry University, UK; Basildon East Community Mental Health Team, Essex County Council, Social Services Department, UK.
Health & Social Care in the Community
|September 19, 2001
Summary
Gender disparities persist in support for informal carers, with women still receiving less service provision than men. This highlights a need for improved training and monitoring in care management to ensure equitable support for all caregivers.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Sociology of Health and Illness
- Social Policy
Background:
- Informal carers are crucial for community care, yet caring is often gendered, disproportionately affecting women's health and well-being.
- Historical data indicates women carers received less public service support than men.
- This study investigates if gender-based disparities in service provision for spousal carers continue.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine current service provision patterns for male and female spousal carers.
- To determine if gender bias in professional responses to carers persists.
- To identify potential unawareness among care workers regarding gendered differences in service assessment and planning.
Main Methods:
- A research project was conducted within an assessment and care management team.
- The study focused on spousal carers of older people.
- Data was collected to compare professional responses to male and female carers.
Main Results:
- Differences in professional responses to female and male spousal carers were found to persist.
- Some care workers demonstrated a gap between their intentions and actions in service assessment and planning.
- Evidence suggests ongoing gender bias in the support offered to informal carers.
Conclusions:
- Gender disparities in professional responses to spousal carers continue.
- Care managers and workers may need enhanced training on gender-sensitive assessment and planning.
- Monitoring assessment outcomes by gender is essential for equitable care management.