Caregiving Experience

Abstract

In the United States and in many other countries worldwide, the demand for caregivers is rising as the population ages, at the same time that the supply of family caregivers is declining. Caregiving is a holistic activity, encompassing numerous tasks and emotions, and therefore can be difficult to define and quantify. Most caregivers are women providing unpaid care to family members, although male caregivers and the formal caregiving workforce is growing. Feminist scholars on caregiving have pointed to the ways in which caregiving is devalued by many societies. Although many caregivers take pride in fulfilling this responsibility, they also often experience negative health and financial consequences. The United States has some social policies to support caregivers.