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Gender and relationship differences in caregiving patterns and consequences among employed caregivers
M B Neal1, B Ingersoll-Dayton, M E Starrels
1Institute on Aging, Portland State University, OR 97207-0751, USA. nealm@pdx.edu
The Gerontologist
|January 20, 1998
Summary
Employed women provide more caregiving time and are primary caregivers more often than men. Caregiver relationship and gender influence caregiving consequences, especially for female caregivers of spouses and parents.
Area of Science:
- Social Sciences
- Psychology
- Sociology
Background:
- Caregiving roles often disproportionately affect women, influenced by societal expectations.
- Understanding gender and relationship dynamics in caregiving is crucial for support services.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate gender and relationship differences in caregiving tasks and consequences among employed individuals.
- To examine how the relationship to the care recipient influences caregiving burden and outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Survey of 2,174 employed caregivers assessing caregiving tasks, time commitment, and relationship to care recipient.
- Statistical analysis to determine the impact of gender and relationship on caregiving consequences, controlling for other variables.
Main Results:
- No gender differences in performing 7 out of 13 caregiving tasks.
- Women spent more time on caregiving and were more likely to be primary caregivers.
- Relationship to care recipient modestly predicted caregiving consequences; gender added nominally.
Conclusions:
- Findings support the gender-role socialization hypothesis.
- Caregiving services should be targeted towards caregivers of spouses and parents, with a focus on female caregivers.
- Further research into gender-specific caregiving challenges is warranted.
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