New From CCF! Men Provide Less Unpaid Care for Family and Friends Than Women, But Only Among Heterosexuals

AUSTIN, TX

It might not seem surprising that women provide more unpaid care to family and friends with illness and disability than men. However, is this only true for heterosexual women partnered with men? Are there differences in unpaid caregiving between men and women who identify as sexual minorities? In the context of an aging U.S. population and an increasing number of Americans identifying as sexual minorities, it is critical to understand patterns of unpaid caregiving and who is more likely to bear the burdens and reap the benefits.

A briefing paper released today from the Council on Contemporary Families, “Who cares and caring for whom? Unpaid caregiving by gender and sexual identity”, summarizes new research on how providing unpaid care for family and friends differs by gender, sexual orientation, and partnership status.

In an article published online in Demography, professor Zhe (Meredith) Zhang (California State University Los Angeles), together with Madeline Smith-Johnson and Bridget Gorman (Rice University), used data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System to generate a probability-based sample of U.S. adults to examine how unpaid caregiving is related to gender and sexual identity. They also compared individuals’ contributions to unpaid caregiving by partnership status.

Zhang and colleagues found that it is not universal for men to do less unpaid care relative to women. Lower rates of caregiving among men relative to women were restricted to heterosexuals. Gay and bisexual men were just as likely to do unpaid care as lesbian and bisexual women.

When examining the role of partnership status, unpartnered bisexual men had higher rates of caregiving when compared to unpartnered heterosexual men, unpartnered gay men, and partnered bisexual men. Gay and lesbian women did not differ in caregiving by partnership status, but partnered heterosexual women were slightly more likely to provide care than heterosexual women without a partner.

With respect to the recipients of unpaid care, providing care for parents was typical across gender, sexual identity, and partnership status. Heterosexual caregivers were more likely to provide care for partners, whereas sexual minority caregivers appeared more likely to provide care for grandparents and friends.

As Zhang and colleagues summarize the takeaway: “Altogether, our findings help advance understanding of caregiving and changing family ties in an era of population aging and increasing diversity in sexual identities.”

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Zhe (Meredith) Zhang, Assistant Professor of Sociology, California State University, Los Angeles, mzhang69@calstatela.edu.

LINKS:

Brief report: Who Cares and Caring for Whom? Unpaid Caregiving by Gender and Sexual Identity