ABSTRACT

The effect of caregiving on the quality of life of informal caregivers and gender stereotypes make informal care for older people a complicated process about which we still know very little. The goal of this review is to find out how gender affects informal carers’ experiences of caring for people over 60 with mental and physical health needs. This will be done by putting all of the empirical data published between 2000 and 2020 into one big picture. Using the PRISMA checklist and the ENTREQ statement, a systematic way of reviewing and putting together qualitative data was done. The CASP tool was used to look at how good the papers that were included were. The method that was used was called “thematic synthesis.” This review came up with two main themes: how gender affects the work of caregivers and how people deal with their gender identity in relation to themselves, society, and cultural norms. Even though informal caregivers are driven by the same things, traditional gender roles have an effect on how much caregiving they have to do and how they deal with stress. After taking on the role of caregiver, informal caregivers have to keep looking for ways to be independent. Cultural values and how they interact with gender seem to affect how well caregivers adjust to their new roles as caregivers. The ability to cross gender lines could help caregivers reach an agreement with themselves and society about their new caregiving identity. When older people get a lot of informal primary care, it affects both their mental and physical health. Gender ideals about the nurturing role of women make it harder for them to figure out how they will care for others, what strategies and resources they will need, and how they will be able to adjust to their new caregiving role in a positive way.

Keywords: Gender, care, health, facility, and facility care