Spousal caregiving and crossing gender boundaries: Maintaining gendered identities

Abstract

This study gathered in-depth interview data from a mostly rural sample ( N = 22) of primary spousal caregivers for non-institutionalized persons with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related dementias. In exploring the ways gender might influence caregiving, we find that husbands and wives both cross gender boundaries in order to give care to their spouses; and such traversing presents different challenges to each. Not only must they take on responsibilities that their spouses used to perform, but we also point to a generally invisible but important form of crossing gender boundaries — the maintenance of the gender identities of their spouses. Doing so involves more than simply performing tasks; it involves an implicit recognition of the other as a gendered being and the importance of masculinity or femininity to personal identity. Uncovering this latter dimension, and understanding how men and women approach their new tasks has important implications for theory and policy, including intervention strategies.