Gender identity in informal care: impact on health in Spanish caregivers.

We examined the influence of gender identity on men's and women's perceptions of assuming the caregiver role to identify different coping strategies and the effects on caregiver health and quality of life. The study, performed in Andalusia, Spain, was based on a sociological analysis of the narratives produced during semistructured interviews with primary informal caregivers (16 men and 16 women) of different profiles. We observed a cultural assumption that women should assume the caregiver role and found that women shouldered the bulk of caregiving responsibilities and did not usually seek support.