Caregiving Masculinities: An Exploratory Analysis

Abstract

This chapter presents findings from exploratory research about caregiving masculinities in Irish society. The chapter opens by addressing the gendered division of informal caregiving in families followed by a description of the research methodology. The remainder of the chapter discusses three themes identified in the analysis. The first theme focuses on the meaning of masculinity in the context of hierarchical and competitive relations among men. The second theme focuses on the way that breadwinning provides the dominant model for men’s caregiving, prescribing and proscribing particular caring practices. The third theme focuses on tensions that arise for some men as they struggle with the role of ‘feminised’ caregiving in their lives.