Objective:

Describe the experience of women cared for by men, in the transition of the role of caregiver to care recipient.

Methods:

A qualitative, descriptive study based on a phenomenological theory with in-depth interviews. A snowball sampling was done, choosing six women cared for by men who were then interviewed.

Results:

Four categories were obtained: Concept of care, Experience as a caregiver, from being a caregiver to a care recipient, and Female versus male caregivers.

Conclusions:

The feelings of female caregivers are very varied, from love and happiness to obligation and exhaustion. When the transition from a caregiver role to a care recipient occurs, they experience other types of feelings, such as loss of independence and gratitude, among others. Regarding the quality of life experienced, they gave heterogeneous answers, not related to the person who provides the care, but to the status of their health. The incursion of men into care is made by the sudden appearance of a disabling disease in the woman or by the increase of the level of dependence in relation to the passage of time. It seems that the incorporation of men into care takes place when there are no other alternatives, and despite this, we still continue to perpetuate the traditional female role through the hiring of female caregivers for home care and basic tasks.

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