Intentions to Care for a Spouse: Gender Differences in Anticipated Willingness to Care and Expected Burden¹

Abstract

Healthy middle-aged men and women rated the extent to which they would in the future provide home-based care in the event of their spouse experiencing nominated physical and psychiatric disabilities. They also estimated the burden expected in providing such care. Men reported greater willingness to care than women, and expected less burden from caregiving. Correlates of willingness and burden also differed for men and women.The idea that women are grounded in an “ethic of care” (Gilligan, 1982) does not appear to hold for anticipated willingness to provide spousal care. The association between caregiving intent and quality of the marital relationship suggests that interventions aimed at enhancing the quality of marriage may be effective in increasing the willingness of middle-aged people to provide care for each other. Further research is needed to determine whether intentions to provide care subsequently translate to practice.

Key Words:

• Caregiving
• Intentions
• Burden
• Marital Satisfaction