Objective:

to explore the experiences and feelings about care that caregiver's manifest through experiential and emotional metaphors, with special focus on gender differences.

Methods:

Qualitative study through semi-structured interviews. 24 informants, 7 patients and 17 caregivers participated, linked to a social and family support network. A content analysis was carried out with Atlas-ti version 7® software.

Results:

The metaphors expressed through feelings show common feelings in men and women: love and satisfaction. Feelings exclusive to women were identified, that come from gender mandates. It was observed that men are joining care more and more.

Conclusions:

The metaphors found reveal the meanings attributed to care. Women are aware of the value of caring, but they normalize it. Men expect social recognition.

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