The Oppression of Caring: Women Caregivers of Relatives With Mental Illness

Caring is central to the experience of women. It is also a form of oppression for women, since this culture demands that women care for, as well as care about, others, yet does not acknowledge the value of caregiving tasks. Women who are caregivers to relatives with a severe and persistent mental illness carry an intolerable burden of care, with little support from the state. This article delineates these issues and proposes specific changes in social policy and actions by social workers that would alleviate the burden of care and the gender oppression on which it is based.