The inequalities of care work: meanings and practices of main female caregivers of elderly people in a state of dependency

The purpose of this article is to analyze the meaning of care activity of elderly people with severe dependence or major dependence carried out by senior female caregivers located in the Metropolitan Region. Primarily, the analysis focuses on the disparities faced by women caregivers in their regula...

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Authors: Fuentes Arenas, Natalia, Garcés Estrada, Carolina
Format: article
Status:Published version
Publication Date:2020
Country:Costa Rica
Institution:Universidad de Costa Rica
Repository:Portal de Revistas UCR
Language:Spanish
OAI Identifier:oai:portal.ucr.ac.cr:article/42104
Online Access:https://revistas.ucr.ac.cr/index.php/gerontologia/article/view/42104
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Care work
caregivers
gender
dependent elderly people
Trabajo de cuidado
cuidadoras
género
persona adulta mayor dependiente
id CR_dbf76815fd0bd5bc3f451c8be11fa76f
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network_acronym_str CR
network_name_str Costa Rica
repository_id_str
spelling The inequalities of care work: meanings and practices of main female caregivers of elderly people in a state of dependencyLas desigualdades del trabajo de cuidado: significados y prácticas de cuidadoras principales de personas adultas mayores en situación de dependenciaFuentes Arenas, NataliaGarcés Estrada, CarolinaCare workcaregiversgenderdependent elderly peopleTrabajo de cuidadocuidadorasgéneropersona adulta mayor dependienteThe purpose of this article is to analyze the meaning of care activity of elderly people with severe dependence or major dependence carried out by senior female caregivers located in the Metropolitan Region. Primarily, the analysis focuses on the disparities faced by women caregivers in their regular work, in the meaning of that work and in the relevance that it has to people, where kinship relationships, mutual support, reciprocity and sustainability of life alongside the practice of care, are involved. The approach used in this research is qualitative, based on semi-structured interviews with female caregivers. On one hand, the results reaffirm -from a feminist perspective- the unequal scenery of care activities and that public policy is insufficient to address the well-being of primary and informal caregivers, also, the findings showed the relation between the meaning of care and the dependence of persons with dementia as Alzheimer's disease. On the other hand, the results exhibit tensions and conflicts in the practice of care, as well as social constructs anchored within the social order of gender and the elderliness of the caregivers.Este artículo tiene por objetivo analizar el significado de la actividad de cuidado que realizan las mujeres cuidadoras principales de personas mayores –con grado de dependencia severa a gran dependencia–, pertenecientes a la región Metropolitana. El análisis se focaliza, principalmente, en las desigualdades a las que se ven expuestas dichas mujeres cuidadoras en el trabajo que desempeñan, en el significado de ese trabajo y la relevancia que este tiene para las personas, donde se involucran las relaciones de parentesco, el apoyo mutuo, la reciprocidad y la sostenibilidad de la vida dentro de la práctica del cuidado. El enfoque de la investigación es cualitativa, basada en entrevistas semiestructuradas a mujeres cuidadoras. Por una parte, los resultados obtenidos reafirman, desde una perspectiva feminista, el escenario desigual del cuidado y la insuficiencia de la política pública para abordar el bienestar de las cuidadoras principales e informales. Así también, abordan el sentido relacional del cuidado en razón de las personas dependientes con demencia tipo Alzheimer. Por otro lado, emergen hallazgos relacionados con las tensiones y conflictos en la práctica de los cuidados, las construcciones sociales ancladas dentro del orden social de género y la edad avanzada de las cuidadoras. Universidad de Costa Rica2020-12-01info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionArticleartículo originalhttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_2df8fbb1info:eu-repo/semantics/articleapplication/pdftext/htmlhttps://revistas.ucr.ac.cr/index.php/gerontologia/article/view/42104Annals in Gerontology; Vol. 12 No. 1 (2020): Anales en Gerontología; 29-64Anales en Gerontología; Vol. 12 Núm. 1 (2020): Anales en Gerontología; 29-642215-46471659-0813reponame:Portal de Revistas UCRinstname:Universidad de Costa Ricainstacron:UCRspahttps://revistas.ucr.ac.cr/index.php/gerontologia/article/view/42104/44838https://revistas.ucr.ac.cr/index.php/gerontologia/article/view/42104/44840Derechos de autor 2020 Anales en Gerontologíaacceso abiertohttp://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_abf2info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess2025-02-12T22:28:00Zoai:portal.ucr.ac.cr:article/42104Portal de revistashttps://revistas.ucr.ac.cr/Universidadhttp://www.ucr.ac.crhttps://revistas.ucr.ac.cr/index.php/index/oaijorge.polanco@ucr.ac.crCosta RicaNo aplicaNo aplicaNo aplicaopendoar:2025-08-13T10:58:07.532Portal de Revistas UCR - Universidad de Costa Ricafalse
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv The inequalities of care work: meanings and practices of main female caregivers of elderly people in a state of dependency
Las desigualdades del trabajo de cuidado: significados y prácticas de cuidadoras principales de personas adultas mayores en situación de dependencia
title The inequalities of care work: meanings and practices of main female caregivers of elderly people in a state of dependency
spellingShingle The inequalities of care work: meanings and practices of main female caregivers of elderly people in a state of dependency
Fuentes Arenas, Natalia
Care work
caregivers
gender
dependent elderly people
Trabajo de cuidado
cuidadoras
género
persona adulta mayor dependiente
title_short The inequalities of care work: meanings and practices of main female caregivers of elderly people in a state of dependency
title_full The inequalities of care work: meanings and practices of main female caregivers of elderly people in a state of dependency
title_fullStr The inequalities of care work: meanings and practices of main female caregivers of elderly people in a state of dependency
title_full_unstemmed The inequalities of care work: meanings and practices of main female caregivers of elderly people in a state of dependency
title_sort The inequalities of care work: meanings and practices of main female caregivers of elderly people in a state of dependency
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Fuentes Arenas, Natalia
Garcés Estrada, Carolina
author Fuentes Arenas, Natalia
author_facet Fuentes Arenas, Natalia
Garcés Estrada, Carolina
author_role author
author2 Garcés Estrada, Carolina
author2_role author
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv Care work
caregivers
gender
dependent elderly people
Trabajo de cuidado
cuidadoras
género
persona adulta mayor dependiente
topic Care work
caregivers
gender
dependent elderly people
Trabajo de cuidado
cuidadoras
género
persona adulta mayor dependiente
description The purpose of this article is to analyze the meaning of care activity of elderly people with severe dependence or major dependence carried out by senior female caregivers located in the Metropolitan Region. Primarily, the analysis focuses on the disparities faced by women caregivers in their regular work, in the meaning of that work and in the relevance that it has to people, where kinship relationships, mutual support, reciprocity and sustainability of life alongside the practice of care, are involved. The approach used in this research is qualitative, based on semi-structured interviews with female caregivers. On one hand, the results reaffirm -from a feminist perspective- the unequal scenery of care activities and that public policy is insufficient to address the well-being of primary and informal caregivers, also, the findings showed the relation between the meaning of care and the dependence of persons with dementia as Alzheimer's disease. On the other hand, the results exhibit tensions and conflicts in the practice of care, as well as social constructs anchored within the social order of gender and the elderliness of the caregivers.
publishDate 2020
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2020-12-01
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
Article
artículo original
http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_2df8fbb1
info:eu-repo/semantics/article
format article
status_str publishedVersion
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv https://revistas.ucr.ac.cr/index.php/gerontologia/article/view/42104
url https://revistas.ucr.ac.cr/index.php/gerontologia/article/view/42104
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv spa
language spa
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv https://revistas.ucr.ac.cr/index.php/gerontologia/article/view/42104/44838
https://revistas.ucr.ac.cr/index.php/gerontologia/article/view/42104/44840
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv Derechos de autor 2020 Anales en Gerontología
acceso abierto
http://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_abf2
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
rights_invalid_str_mv Derechos de autor 2020 Anales en Gerontología
acceso abierto
http://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_abf2
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv application/pdf
text/html
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv Universidad de Costa Rica
publisher.none.fl_str_mv Universidad de Costa Rica
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv Annals in Gerontology; Vol. 12 No. 1 (2020): Anales en Gerontología; 29-64
Anales en Gerontología; Vol. 12 Núm. 1 (2020): Anales en Gerontología; 29-64
2215-4647
1659-0813
reponame:Portal de Revistas UCR
instname:Universidad de Costa Rica
instacron:UCR
instname_str Universidad de Costa Rica
instacron_str UCR
institution UCR
reponame_str Portal de Revistas UCR
collection Portal de Revistas UCR
repository.name.fl_str_mv Portal de Revistas UCR - Universidad de Costa Rica
repository.mail.fl_str_mv jorge.polanco@ucr.ac.cr
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score 15.811543

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