While some areas of care work show increased recruitment of men, the care-gap remains, especially in low paid occupations. Questions arise how masculinities play a part in this, and if caring...Show moreWhile some areas of care work show increased recruitment of men, the care-gap remains, especially in low paid occupations. Questions arise how masculinities play a part in this, and if caring masculinities obscure gender inequities while at the same time perpetuating them. This qualitative study focusses the negotiation of hegemonic and caring masculinities of men working in residential long-term care in the Netherlands, and its consequences for health. Semi-structured interviews (N = 16) were analyzed thematically, drawing upon gender and intersectionality theory to understand inequities between respondents. Findings describe how men move through long-term care. On entry, men negotiated hegemonic and caring masculinities to gain access, with black men having to work harder. Once inside, men experienced status-loss and performed hegemonic masculinity, materializing in financial and sexual rewards, especially for white heterosexual men. In time, this performance of hegemonic masculinity backlashed with respect to their own health; herein racialized and homosexual men were hit harder. Consequently, all the men in this study aspired to move out or up from low-paid care work, with white heterosexual men doing so more successfully. Our study illustrates the importance of an intersectional perspective on caring masculinities at work, showing how caring masculinities perpetuate male privilege for some men more than for others, creating health and labor market inequities among men. In terms of health, this study shows that gender, racism and sexual discrimination need be on the occupational health agenda. Show less
Eldercare professionals engaged in precarious work in the Netherlands faced shortages in personal protective equipment (PPE), testing, and staffing during the COVID-19 pandemic. This qualitative... Show moreEldercare professionals engaged in precarious work in the Netherlands faced shortages in personal protective equipment (PPE), testing, and staffing during the COVID-19 pandemic. This qualitative study of the health, financial situations, and paid and unpaid caring responsibilities of freelance eldercare workers illustrates how labor market inequalities have been (re)produced and exacerbated during the pandemic. Freelancers were pushed toward the margins of the labor market, working risky shifts and compromising their own interests, while unprotected by organizations, social security, or political efforts. Consequently, these workers were stretched to limits where they could no longer attend to their own health or to their paid and unpaid care responsibilities. The study places these empirical findings within Nancy Fraser and Rahel Jaeggi's theoretical work on capitalism, illustrating how eldercare workers found themselves at the center of boundary struggles during the pandemic. Show less
