Taking "women's work" "like a man": Husbands' experiences of care work

Citation Calasanti, T., & King, N. (2007). Taking "women's work" "like a man": Husbands' experiences of care work. The Gerontologist, 47 (4), 516-527.

Design Exploratory research/personal interviews.

Purpose The purpose of this study was to explore themes emerging from men's caregiving experiences.

Participants The participants (N=22) were spouses of dementia patients. Results were based on the interviews of 9 male spouses. The rest of the participants were female and used more like a comparison group.

Procedure Personal interviews

Outcomes Men's approaches to caregiving, dealing with the work and their feeling were rooted in their sense of selves as men. Identified 6 strategies men used to cope: exerting force, focusing on tasks, blocking emotions, minimizing disruption, distracting attention, and self medicating (as a means of coping with stress). This article illustrates the complexities of dementia care (the care of both the care recipient and the cg) given that: cognitive impairment presents itself differently from patient to patient, the needs of the caregiver are as diverse as the impairment of the care recipient. It also illustrates the need for alternative/adjusted interventions to account for diverse populations (here, men).

Author Calasanti, T., & King, N.