It matters who does the (unpaid) work: Gender and the provision of informal caregiving by lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) aging adults

Abstract

This study examines the provision and expectation of informal caregiving by the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) aging adult population. Using data from a 2017 nationwide AARP survey of LGBT aging adults (45+), we examine the effect of gender identity on the likelihood that LGBT older adults have been or anticipate becoming informal caregivers. Our findings reveal that LGBT older adults who are cisgender women, compared to those who are cisgender men, are more likely to have been or expect to be a caregiver for an adult loved one. We conclude that the heteronormative gender expectations and norms associated with caregiving in broader U.S. society could increase the possibility of adverse outcomes for LGBT older adults who are cisgender women, compared to LGBT older adults who are cisgender men.

Keywords:

• Gender identity
• gender norms
• informal caregiving
• LGBT aging adults
• LGBT older adults

Disclosure statement

We have no known conflict of interest to disclose.

Data availability statement

The data supporting the findings is available upon request from AARP at https://www.aarp.org/research/topics/life/info-2018/maintaining-dignity-lgbt.html. AARP retains intellectual property rights on the data. The survey is accessible at https://doi.org/10.26419/res.00217.002.

Notes

1 We use the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) acronym throughout our study to remain consistent with the wording in the AARP dataset. We acknowledge that this acronym falls short as it does not account for the broad spectrum of sexual and gender identities.

2 For the purposes of operationalization, we interpret the AARP’s original classification of “female” or “male” to indicate “cisgender women” or “cisgender men,” given that those respondents who identified as anything other than cisgender (e.g., trans women, trans man, non-binary) were included in the gender expansive category by the AARP in their public release of the dataset. We further expand upon the gender identity question in the independent variables section.

3 We acknowledge that identity disclosure is a nuanced process, and phrases such as “how ‘out’ are you” may not adequately capture the associated complexities (see Baker, 2012).