‘I Want People to Know out There, Just How Many Caregivers Struggle Between Work and Home’: Feminist Intersectional Research Exploring Caregiving Lived Experiences in New Zealand

Abstract

Issue Addressed

Caregiving carries risks to caregivers because of the burdens associated with it, including impacts on caregiver health and wellbeing. It also has the potential to increase existing health inequities for women and Black, Indigenous and People of Colour (BIPOC). This exploratory research asked: What are the lived experiences of women and people who are double-duty caregivers (those with both formal and informal caregiving roles), what are the impacts on health and wellbeing and how do socio-cultural gender roles impact these experiences?

Methods

A qualitative feminist intersectional approach was used in this study. Data were collected through individual semi-structured interviews with four women who were double-duty caregivers, and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis.

Results

Health and wellbeing were seen to be affected by caregiving roles and responsibilities, which were influenced by socio-cultural pressures. These impacts were either alleviated or compounded by intersections of caregivers' identities with wider social systems of power.

Conclusions

Double-duty caregivers need more support and resources to do their jobs well and look after their own wellbeing.

So What?

The need for caregivers will only increase due to ageing populations. Findings from this research point to intersectional inequities in caregiver burdens, which need to be addressed by health promotion as a matter of social justice.