Feature Articles

Are you aware that November is often referred to as "Movember"? "Movember" is a portmanteau of "mo," derived from moustache, and "November." Indeed, every November is recognised globally as Men's Health Awareness Month, intended to promote awareness of men's health concerns. Today is November 19th, coinciding with International Men's Day. This article encourages our society to embrace men as a caregiver role within the family to affirm men's positive and diverse values and re-conceptualize the gendered interpretation of caregiving to concern their mental and physical health.

When considering family caregivers, many still picture a woman—a mother, daughter, wife or even maid, who takes on the responsibilities of caring for children's growth or ageing parents. Historically, caregiving has been perceived as a female role, deeply rooted in femininity temperament, traditional gender norms and expectations. Indeed, the word caregiver is defined as deeply gendered. Traditionally, how we interpret "caregiver" has been seen as a natural extension of women's nurturing roles, often highlighting activities like washing, cleaning, feeding, laundering and emotional support. Conversely, men are more likely to frame their caregiving responsibilities within the context of providing for the family. For men, caregiving primarily includes planning, organising, protecting and managing the various aspects of care, as well as ensuring the family's financial and social status stability. This variation in perception has caused negative implications. However, this historically gendered understanding of the caregiver can also mean that male caregivers might underestimate or neglect their effort and contribution to the family's caring, which can lead to underreporting their stress and burnout in the issues of family. At the same time, they uphold and "embrace" traditional masculinity traits, which request them to remain strong, tough, brave, composed, etc., and may prevent them from seeking help when needed, exacerbating the sense of isolation and emotional strain.

Remarkably, while men might not see themselves as caregivers in the family in the traditional sense, they may be less likely to seek support or resources designed for caregivers, which can lead to a lack of acknowledgement and higher degrees of psychological burden since they could not take up caregiving as a personal achievement and cannot reach satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment in the family caring stuff. As a result, they often recognise their family role as similar to a financial manager, focusing on the logistics and problem-solving aspects. It's time to broaden and redefine both the definition of caregiving and the gender role of the caregiver, acknowledging that caregiving can take many forms beyond traditional nurturing. In doing so, it is imperative to understand and recognise males as family caregivers. Recognising males as caregivers can challenge conventional gender norms, helping to break down stereotypes and the impression that caregiving is solely a woman's natural responsibility or a mother's role. This shift encourages more men to take on caregiving roles and promotes a more equitable distribution of care within families. When the society accepts that men can be caregivers, it opens the door for women to pursue other opportunities without the automatic expectation that they will be the primary caregivers.

In the future, government or non-government organisations, relevant service providers, and support groups should create more resources that appeal to how men perceive their caregiving duties, recognising their unique strengths and challenges in family caregiving issues, such as the ability to provide financial stability and the challenge of balancing work and caregiving. In addition, we should consider offering spaces where highlighted male caregivers can share their experiences without fear of judgment and normalise the idea that caregiving is not bound by gender. Ultimately, it can challenge stereotypes and encourage more open discussions about caregiving responsibilities and emotional aspects.

In short, the role of males as caregivers is still invisible. Recognising men as caregivers is not about diminishing or undervaluing the contributions of women in the family. Instead, we should broaden our understanding of caregiving to be more inclusive and diverse. By acknowledging and supporting males as caregivers, we can foster a more equitable and gender-friendly society where caregiving is valued as a shared responsibility, irrespective of gender. This shift not only benefits caregivers themselves but also promotes healthier, more balanced families and communities.

“The interpretation of caregiving should be a prism or spectrum rather than a gendered one.”