Women involvement in the informal caregiving field: A perspective review

Abstract

The patient recovery process of individual with mental health disorder is reinforced if they are connected with their community and supported by relatives. The literature has shown that caregivers are important, although their roles can lead to alterations in their own health; and women are the most involved in this role. The present review investigated women’s involvement in the informal caregiver scientific field. A literature review indicated gender differences; researchers who are women are more interested in this field than men. Even with a good representation of women in this scientific field, the results showed a statistically significant gender difference for the first and second authors, whereas there was no significant gender difference among the last authors. More efforts must be made to recognize the importance of women’s involvement in research because they raise a specific important field. Family caregivers are key players in the healthcare system, but to date, there has been little recognition of their enormous contribution. Our results also indicated the informal caregiver role is filled more by women than by men, which creates social inequalities in many domains, especially in opportunities at the professional level. Tailored interventions are required to address the specific needs and issues of family caregivers. A better redistribution of unpaid work, such as informal caregiving, compared to paid work must be made to respect gender in social existence.

The Experiences of Family Members of Patients Discharged from Intensive Care Unit: A Systematic Review of Qualitative Studies

“…While the studies included in our analysis only report data on biological sex and relationship degree, this limitation may hinder a comprehensive understanding of gender-related differences. Nonetheless, it is notable that the majority of informal caregivers are women, a trend linked to potentially significant impacts on their physical and mental well-being [ 29 ]. This observation suggests societal expectations that place greater emotional responsibility on women within relationships.…”

Gender roles and gender norms associated with psychological distress in women and men among the Dutch general population

“…For instance, women who work report better mental health than women who do not work, whereas caregiving is related to adverse mental health ( Mayor, 2015 ). Informal caregiving is more prevalent in women, and this has been related to more depressive symptoms and anxiety compared to caregiving in men ( Rexhaj et al, 2023 ).…”