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Sons Who Care: Examining the Experience and Meaning of Filial Caregiving for Married and Never-Married Sons

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 March 2010

Lori D. Campbell
Lori D. Campbell*
Affiliation:
McMaster University
*
†Correspondence and requests for offprints should be sent to / La correspondance et les demandes de tirés-à-part doivent être adressées à: Lori D. Campbell, Ph.D., Sociology and Health, Aging and Society, McMaster University, KTH 230a, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4M4 (lcampbe@mcmaster.ca)
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Abstract

In filial caregiving, women typically provide more care than men. The numerical predominance of female caregivers has been explained such that diversity among male caregivers has been overlooked. That is, “internalist” explanations, which emphasize the differing socialization experience of females and males, tend to homogenize each gender’s caregiving experience. “Externalist” explanations, which emphasize various factors that push or pull women and men into caregiving, reduce the actors involved to passive agents whose subjective understanding of caregiving over time is ignored. Both explanations divert attention from the diversity in male caregiving. This article presents qualitative data derived from interviews with 48 caregiving sons to provide evidence of that diversity. Some themes are common to both married and never-married male caregivers, yet there are also systematic differences between the two groups of caregivers. For example, caregiving for married sons was more limited; caregiving for never-married sons was a more central element in their lives.

Résumé

Les femmes fournissent généralement plus que les hommes dans les soins des enfants. La prédominance numérique des aidantes féminines a été expliquée de telle façon que la diversité chez les aidants masculins a été négligée. C’est à dire que les explica-tions internes, qui mettent l’accent sur l’expérience de socialisation divergentes des femmes et des hommes, ont la tendance à homogénéiser l’expérience de soins du groupe de chaque sexe. Pourtant, les explications externes, qui permettent de faire ressortir les facteurs divers qui motivent les femmes et les hommes à s’occuper des soins, réduisent les acteurs aux agents passives dont la compréhension subjective des soins au fil du temps est ignorée. Les deux explications détournent l’attention de la diversité dans les soins de sexe masculin. Cet article présente des données qualitatives dérivées des entrevues avec 48 des fils de soins pour fournir des preuves de cette diversité. Certains thèmes sont communs aux hommes aidants mariés et aidants jamais mariés, mais il y a également des différences systématiques entre les deux expériences des soins. Pour les fils mariés les soins étaient plus limités; les soins pour les fils jamais mariés étaient un élément plus central dans leurs vies.

Keywords

vieillissementsoinssoins filialesaidant(e)agingcaregivingfilial caremen’s caregiving

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