Care–life balance: a new normal for men too?

Abstract

In this ‘Debates and issues’ article, we want to highlight: the issue of a lack of male informal carers; the underlying reasons for it, such as stereotypes, socialisation and representations; and the implications for society, for example, gender inequality and the growing need for informal carers due to shifting demographics in Western societies. In our opinion, there is a lack of research on men in (informal) care work and too little conversation on the reasons why, for example, toxic masculinities, the lack of role models and the neglect of the care sector by policymakers.