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Author Archives: Gina Hijjawi
Nov 9 2021

Four Ways to Support Men in Solving America’s Caregiving Crisis

Nov 9, 2021, 11:00 AM, Posted by Gina Hijjawi

Caregiving is one of the greatest challenges of our time, with significant implications for families and our economy. REGISTER HERE for a December 9 discussion about caregiving with RWJF President and CEO Rich Besser, and Ai-jen Poo, co-founder and executive director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance, and co-founder and director of Caring Across Generations.  

Men and children illustration.

The pandemic has exacerbated the struggles facing many who care for children, aging relatives, loved ones with disabilities, and family members who are sick with COVID-19 or other illnesses. With long-stalled federal investments in a care economy, paid family and medical leave, and other policy and workplace reforms under consideration, my colleagues and I weighed in on the role men can play in providing unpaid and paid care in a series of posts this year.

They are based on reports from New America that explore the cultural, legal, and other changes that would enable more men to do this essential work.

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Apr 8 2021

Normalizing Men as Caregivers Helps Families and Society

Apr 8, 2021, 2:00 PM, Posted by Gina Hijjawi

Busting the stereotype of men as breadwinners and women as caregivers benefits families and our economy. New research reveals conditions and supports needed for men to fulfill their caregiver roles.

Father and daughter do laundry together.

When we imagine a caregiver, we often picture a woman: a mother caring for young children, spouse, and the daily household chores, a daughter nursing a father with disabilities, or a female child care provider. Historically, women have been expected to serve as primary providers of “caretaking” work, whether it’s parenting or caring for an aging family member or paid work in positions typically associated with women such as child-care providers, nurses, or health aide. Alternativley, men are often expected to be the primary breadwinners and play less of a role in the emotional or physical caretaking of a family. And men in caregiving professions that are most often fulfilled by women (e.g., nursing, child care) are often seen as the exception. While the role of women as caregivers may have been true for much of history, gender roles and intergenerational dynamics are shifting and as Ai-jen Poo, director of Caring Across Generations, notes ‘continuing to associate caregiving with one gender does more harm than good.’ 

Here is the reality: before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, men have been significant providers of care work, both within their families and in their careers. In fact, men actively contribute to the care economy. This is good for them—but, just as importantly, it benefits women and society broadly.

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