“Cinderella Men”: Husband- and Son- Caregivers for Elders with Dementia in Shanghai

Traditionally, women had the day-to-day responsibility for eldercare. However, social changes have created alternatives for men to take on what is generally considered a “female duty.” Particularly, as the prevalence of dementia has increased in China, men are increasingly becoming the primary careg...

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Autor principal:	Yan Zhang
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	University Library System, University of Pittsburgh 2021
Materias:	gender roles men caregiving dementia china Anthropology GN1-890 Geriatrics RC952-954.6
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/624c63bc29e346289fe3df69ec7979a3
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:624c63bc29e346289fe3df69ec7979a32021-11-11T19:34:31Z“Cinderella Men”: Husband- and Son- Caregivers for Elders with Dementia in Shanghai2374-226710.5195/aa.2021.356https://doaj.org/article/624c63bc29e346289fe3df69ec7979a32021-11-01T00:00:00Zhttps://anthro-age.pitt.edu/ojs/index.php/anthro-age/article/view/356https://doaj.org/toc/2374-2267Traditionally, women had the day-to-day responsibility for eldercare. However, social changes have created alternatives for men to take on what is generally considered a “female duty.” Particularly, as the prevalence of dementia has increased in China, men are increasingly becoming the primary caregivers for their kin. Yet, we have limited understanding of male caregiving. Based on twenty months’ ethnographic study of 60 men taking care of a relative with dementia, this paper examines motivations, practices, struggles and strategies of male caregivers. While acknowledging the gendered nature of caregiving, I argue that eldercare goes beyond solely social construction of gender roles and power asymmetries between males and females. Men—both husbands and sons—who engage in caregiving are motivated by love, affection, moral obligation, reciprocity based on past assistance, and property inheritance. Male caregivers’ care practices and their responses toward challenges vary from case to case, yet, these differences have less association with gender identity but more with cohort variations. The expanding home roles of male caregivers call attention to the social transformation of gendered care practices in China and beyond.Yan ZhangUniversity Library System, University of Pittsburgharticlegender rolesmencaregivingdementiachinaAnthropologyGN1-890GeriatricsRC952-954.6ENAnthropology & Aging, Vol 42, Iss 2, Pp 6-20 (2021)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	gender roles men caregiving dementia china Anthropology GN1-890 Geriatrics RC952-954.6
spellingShingle	gender roles men caregiving dementia china Anthropology GN1-890 Geriatrics RC952-954.6 Yan Zhang “Cinderella Men”: Husband- and Son- Caregivers for Elders with Dementia in Shanghai
description	Traditionally, women had the day-to-day responsibility for eldercare. However, social changes have created alternatives for men to take on what is generally considered a “female duty.” Particularly, as the prevalence of dementia has increased in China, men are increasingly becoming the primary caregivers for their kin. Yet, we have limited understanding of male caregiving. Based on twenty months’ ethnographic study of 60 men taking care of a relative with dementia, this paper examines motivations, practices, struggles and strategies of male caregivers. While acknowledging the gendered nature of caregiving, I argue that eldercare goes beyond solely social construction of gender roles and power asymmetries between males and females. Men—both husbands and sons—who engage in caregiving are motivated by love, affection, moral obligation, reciprocity based on past assistance, and property inheritance. Male caregivers’ care practices and their responses toward challenges vary from case to case, yet, these differences have less association with gender identity but more with cohort variations. The expanding home roles of male caregivers call attention to the social transformation of gendered care practices in China and beyond.
format	article
author	Yan Zhang
author_facet	Yan Zhang
author_sort	Yan Zhang
title	“Cinderella Men”: Husband- and Son- Caregivers for Elders with Dementia in Shanghai
title_short	“Cinderella Men”: Husband- and Son- Caregivers for Elders with Dementia in Shanghai
title_full	“Cinderella Men”: Husband- and Son- Caregivers for Elders with Dementia in Shanghai
title_fullStr	“Cinderella Men”: Husband- and Son- Caregivers for Elders with Dementia in Shanghai
title_full_unstemmed	“Cinderella Men”: Husband- and Son- Caregivers for Elders with Dementia in Shanghai
title_sort	“cinderella men”: husband- and son- caregivers for elders with dementia in shanghai
publisher	University Library System, University of Pittsburgh
publishDate	2021
url	https://doaj.org/article/624c63bc29e346289fe3df69ec7979a3
work_keys_str_mv	AT yanzhang cinderellamenhusbandandsoncaregiversforelderswithdementiainshanghai
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“Cinderella Men”: Husband- and Son- Caregivers for Elders with Dementia in Shanghai

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