Hombres cuidadores: Barreras de género y modelos emergentes

Abstract

This article lays out a theoretical reflection about the involvement of men in caregiving. We discuss the concept of caregiving as an academic category and a political category, the relationship between the crisis in caregiving with the crisis of social reproduction, and we address the core concepts of the academic and political agendas that aim at the redistribution of caregiving and gender equality. The objective is to identify barriers that prevent the involvement of men in paid and voluntary caregiving, as well as emerging models, and to propose alternative means to attain a sustainable caregiving system. We refer to the research we are conducting in Cataluña (Spain), which is qualitative and interdisciplinary. We conclude that there is little knowledge about men's involvement in caregiving and that there is a need to delve into this issue by academia, considering the proposals and debates about caregiving that balances the roles of the family, the State and the community, across genders and cohorts.