Women are the primary ones to engage in care work and the like (Lee., Tang, 2015)., because of this the responsibilities they face with caregiving can negatively impact their careers and employment (St. Germaine-Small, M. Lecture 3., Lee., Tang, 2015). As seen in lecture 3 women still carry the major burdens of caregiving and the responsibilities that come with it (St. Germaine-Small, M. Lecture 3). Women are the ones to most likely have a negative experience in the labour force because of the elder care they need to provide (Lee., Tang, 2015). Examples where women caregivers careers can be affected are: taking time off because of the care-receivers appointments, missed work days, having to transition to part time, diminished opportunities, impact on advancement or personal careers goals, poor mental health, etc (St. Germaine-Small, M. Lecture 3). I think that by having women as the primary caregivers it instils compounded oppressions to women workers. From previous knowledge, I know that women workers who do not have to engage in caregiving already; face inequalities …show more content…
Upon my personal reflection, what I had failed to see either is that not all families have the financial option to be able to afford this. In my experience, my grandmother needed assistance for dementia and since all of our relatives had full time employment and were still raising children, my grandmother and ourselves had the privilege to be able to have the option for her to afford assisted living. I now realize my privilege and blindness associated with my assumption. That this is not the case of all people. From learning in lecture that from the government is cutting services, people now do not have a choice but to engage in caregiving, whether they work full time or not, due to financial reasons or limited rooms in assisted living
Men at work, fathers at home: uncovering the masculine face of caregiver discrimination. Columbia Journal of Gender and Law, 253. Farbstein, S. H. (2013). The 'Stand Justice Ginsburg's international perspective. Harvard Law Review, 429.
An argument has been raised that women have to be in charge of their home due to a man’s unwillingness to take over parenting responsibilities. That is quite beneficial to the women’s rights movement for the reason father’s helping a lot more time with children, building a stronger family relationship. Women have been subjected to fit into a certain image to suit society eyes for a long time, one of the main images being a stay at home mom nut they a capable of so much more. Females have more of a broader range of abilities than men do regardless of widespread idea that they are incapable of doing most activities.
Certain cultures that live at or below the poverty line prefer this type of assistance for their elderly family members because it allows them to have someone meet them at their home. This convenience is a big factor and provides the elderly with a way to fulfill their communal culture by living out their time at home among family, while still receiving any necessary assistance for health checks or IADL’s. This improves their quality of life by meeting their needs in a different way. These alternative methods to older adult care are more popular among minorities and cultural groups (Bookman & Kimbrel, 2011). Bookman and Kimbrel acknowledge the gap between financial status as well as culture and race, they stated, “...because elders are widely diverse by race and socioeconomic status, their families attach differing cultural meanings to care and have widely different resources with which to accomplish their care goals” (2011). Thus, creating the large gap seen in nursing home facilities. Specifically, cultures like the Chinese who maintain traditions like filial piety, in which the adult children must care for their elderly parent (Li & Buechel, 2007). This type of culture defines the line between those who view nursing homes as ideal and those who prefer a separate
...health. The demanding physical duties contribute to stress and mental health problems and carers have higher levels of psychological distress than non-carers (Pinquart & Sörensen, 2006). Research suggests that the physical effects of caregiving stem primarily from psychological impact (such as depression) rather than direct physical labouring in the provision of care (Pinquart & Sörensen, 2006).
To begin to understand an individual must start to understand the current status of care for the elderly people with dementia. In the twenty-first century there are differences that occur that are unlike past elderly care (Bookman & Kimbrel, 2011). One difference that is looked at is the six key groups that people look for in outsourcing are health care providers, nongovernmental community-based service providers, employers, government, families, and elders themselves (Bookman & Kimbrel, 2011). Roberto and Jarrott (2008) discuss one of the key groups that Bookman and Kimbrel (2011) talk about. In Roberto and Jarrott’s (2008) article they explain that older adults have to rely on family member for instrumental support and more intense care activities.
The implications of this devaluation of this care work, while the growing ideas about the “priceless child” and our investment in advancing our society through the next generation is a confusing juxtaposition. Systems of both work/organizations and domestic/private spheres have been mutually transformed and as women and men attempt to negotiate new forms of care arrangements, perhaps the time has come to reimagine our definition of work and our society’s investment in the act of care. More family friendly work policies, corporate training to address gender and motherhood penalties and a continual reassessment of our own perceptions of care will all be necessary to truly adapt our system to our new sociological ideals.
The Theory of Caregiver Stress explains the primary caregiver’s social role, how they reduce stress, and how they cope with stress. Tsai (2003) was able to list several propositions in this theory that can be found and applied in the nursing practice. Many research articles have related or applied the Theory of Caregiver Stress in the recent years. This paper will explain those propositions in the Theory of Caregiver Stress as well as several examples that are applied to this theory.
Alzheimer’s is a form of dementia that affects the brain. There is no cure for it but many treatments. Alzheimer’s is fatal and there are few stages of dementia. It is the 6th leading cause of death, more than 5 million Americans have it, and 15,5 million caregivers gave around 17.7 billion hours of unpaid care that cost around $220 billion in 2013. In my family, my grandmother who is 86 years old has very early stages of Alzheimer’s. She started having symptoms when she was 81. My grandfather took most of the care of her but as he got ill my aunt Kathy took over. When my grandfather got ill and had to be in 24 hour care, we all agree to put my grandmother in assisted living care 10 minutes from one of my aunt’s house.
There are many issues that can be related to carers of people with dementia. The physical and psychological workload can be attributed as the most common concern among carers (Fjelltun et al., 2009). In addition, O’ Dowd (2007) has stated that carers are more likely to endure more anxiety, and feeling of liability which resulted to carers’ negligence of their own wellbeing. Moreover, carers suffer more stress than those who are not giving care to elderly with dementia. In relation to this, carers’ health is not interrelated with their emotional functioning (Bristow et al., 2008). These different reports suggested that carers undergo psychological issues more notable in comparison with just ordinary people. This can be regarded to carers’ exposure to a stressful environment.
As you can imagine, the financial cost and responsibility of caring for an aging parent are not the only demands family members must face. Most of the concerns and hardships these caregivers deal with are ways to address the needs of their parents while making sure they still provide them with the necessities. Eldercare creates a complex situation in which traditional roles of parent/child relationships are revealed. You may already be in that position or soon looking at it of being part of the 'sandwich generation', providing support for your own children as well that of your parents. Physically as well as financially.
Caregiving is an essential and very necessary aspect of the medical field. However, caregiving is also one of the most strenuous and stressful positions that exists. The patients require constant supervision, precise care and an extremely high level of patience, tolerance and skill. Eventually, this type of care begins to take a physical, emotional and financial toll on the caregiver. Because of the adverse effects of this profession, the Theory of Caregiver Stress was developed to aid those working in this difficult profession.
Inside the home you have the children- who if are grown- are also under pressure to get an education, job, home of their own, and maybe even pressures to settle down and have a family. This can be added to if the child is still living at home, this can add the social stigma of not being able to make it on their own or provide form themselves. If there are parents living in the home it can be stressful on them having to make the transition from mother or father to being treated as one of the children. They can lose their sense of independence and feel as if they are a burden to the family. As you continue to look in the home you may see a strain on the marriage of the care takers. Questions such as “Why can we take in your mother but mine is getting put in a nursing home” or “your children get to see your parents every day, why can we not go visit mine once in a while?” It’s easy to see how tensions can rise and this situation can become a stressor within the marriage. Another possible side effect of becoming a multi-generation care giver is that it will take up much of your time- especially if there are extenuating circumstances such as an illness. Having to take people back and forth between doctors can use up personal day in a hurry, leaving families to decide if giving up a job is in their best interest. Since the start of the recession, the number of working women 45 to 54 has dropped more than 3.5 percent, a rough one million women, several of them leaving to care for a parent (Searcey, 2014). This, once again, can cause strain on a marriage when you lose one income and the other spouse becomes the primary bread
Women's roles were confined to a small list of responsibilities. As a result, they were seen as a minority. Society convinced women that they weren't capable of performing any work outside of the home. They were to stay home to cook, clean, take care of the children, and any other aspect involving the home. This was their sole responsibility. There wasn't anything else they were allowed or expected to do. Unfortunately this frame of mind developed in women and until only recently has this mindset been challenged by the female gender.
The women are involved in their roles as caregivers, and there is no conflict of this with their professional jobs. This creates a picture and unrealistic expectations of women as "superwomen" who do everything without distorting
Why are most of these responsibilities borne by women? The historical role of women is part of the answer. Despite the fact that we know instinctively that caregiving is valuable and important work, it has gone largely unrecognized and unacknowledged because we take it for granted. In the past, many parents felt that school education for girls was a waste of time, "A woman's place is in the home" was the traditional view. In those days, housewives had a tough life and were completely dependent on the men for money. There was a lot of drudgery in their lives and the men didn't help with the household chores, it was "women's work". The housewife worked from dawn to dusk and there was a lot of truth in the old saying; "a woman's work is never done".