Conclusiones parciales

Gender has already emerged as an important variable in caring. This is the case, in part, because the majority of participants in the present study were female and also, as detailed in the literature review, the majority of carers in the Irish population across all ages are female (62%). However, in the 15-24 age category, the recorded number of male carers was 5,621 and the number of female carers was 6,665, and so male carers represent 46% of the caring population in this age category.

Furthermore, the gender of the carer and the person cared for is also an important variable when considering if the care is or is not appropriate.

Table 16 shows the association between gender and caring tasks performed by the young carers in the study. every male participant and every female participant in the study reported that they were engaged in domestic tasks. Just under half of male participants (3) and a large majority of female participants (13) reported providing some form of intimate care. A large proportion of both male and female carers were also providing general care and child care, although the numbers recorded providing emotional support were small. one significant difference between male and female carers was that, while 6 female carers reported providing ‘other’ kinds of care, this was the case with only one male young carer.

Study of Young Carers in the Irish Population – Main Report

Table 16: Association between gender and caring tasks performed (n = 26) Caring task performed

of the 7 male young carers, 4 were caring for a brother, 1 was caring for a father and 2 for their mothers (see Table 17). In the latter case, neither boy reported performing intimate care tasks for their mother. None of the 7 male young carers provided care of any kind to a sister or parent.

Table 17: Association between caring tasks, gender of young carer (MALE) and person cared for (n = 7)

of the 19 female young carers, 4 were caring for a mother, 3 for a father, 7 for a brother, 5 for a sister and 2 for a grandparent (see Table 18). of the 13 female young carers providing intimate care, 4 were caring for a sister and 2 for a mother. Although none were providing intimate care to a father, nonetheless, 6 were providing intimate care to a brother. In contrast, as we have seen, none of the male young carers reporting to be providing intimate care did so for a sister or for a parent.

Table 18: Association between caring tasks, gender of young carer (FEMALE) and person cared for (n = 19)

In some families, it was clear that the gender of the young person had a marked effect on the distribution of caring tasks. This was so for a 14-year-old who cared for her mother and her father.

She stressed that her responsibilities as a carer were very different from the responsibilities of her

Findings from young carers’ interviews

Interviewer: So a lot of that kind of falls to you?

P9: Yeah, it would because the lads decide where they go first. Well, sometimes like, my sister does give out to them a lot, saying that I should get to go where I want, but I do get to go places most of the time.

Interviewer: So do you think it’s because you’re a girl or because you’re the youngest, or both?

P9: bit of both.

The same young carer explained how a specific task (helping her mother into bed) was designated:

Interviewer: And does she need help getting in and out of bed?

P9: Yeah. It depends on who is putting her to bed, but I’d do it mostly.

Interviewer: Right.

P9: Kind of depends, who has done the most all day and the person who has done the least has to put her to bed.

Interviewer: Right.

P9: I’d probably do it just to avoid the argument, like.

In other families, however, boys took on considerable caring responsibilities and often did so without expressing any reluctance. A male young carer, 16 years of age and caring for his 3 brothers with intellectual disabilities, said that caring was not so much a duty but that, as an older brother, he felt he should help to make their lives easier:

P19: I just see it as a duty as their older brother, you know. but obviously sometimes I’m asked to help out with them and I’m grand with that. but, you know, I also personally feel that if I can make their life a bit easier for them, then I’m happy, do you know. So, I think it’s not as much as a clear duty to me … I just feel that I am their bigger brother so I should help, you know.

Summary

of the 26 participating young carers, 20 were referred to the study by agency staff from

■

■

the non-statutory sector and 6 were referred by the statutory sector.

In total, 7 of the young carers were male and 19 were female; 10 were aged 5-11 and

■

■

16 were aged 12-17; the average age of participants was 13.

Two of the young carers were non-Irish nationals. All 26 participants were fluent english

■

■

speakers. The study did not have participants from the Irish Traveller community.

of the total sample, 15 of the young carers were caring exclusively for a sibling(s) and

■

■

7 were caring exclusively for a parent(s).

All the young people caring exclusively for a mother or exclusively for a father lived in

■

■

one-parent families (the exception was a young carer caring for both parents) and all those caring exclusively for a sibling(s) did so in two-parent families.

There were 8 young carers living in households without any adult in paid work; these were

■

■

all one-parent households, where the parent was in receipt of care from the young carer (the exception was a household where siblings were also in receipt of care). A total of 7 young carers lived in households that contained 2 adults in paid work; in all cases save one, the young carers were caring for siblings (the exception was a household where a grandmother was cared for by 2 young sisters).

11 of the participating young carers lived in rural areas and 15 lived in urban areas.

■

■

The majority of participants (19) had begun caring below the age of 9 years.

■

■

of the 28 people in receipt of care from the participating young carers, there were

■

■

instances of behavioural or learning difficulties (13); intellectual and physical disabilities (6); physical illness (5); mental illness (3); and one case of sensory impairment.

9 of the participants were primary carers (i.e. the predominant carer in the household) and

■

■

17 were secondary carers (i.e. they helped the primary carer to provide care).

Study of Young Carers in the Irish Population – Main Report

of the supports that young carers reported that they were receiving, the most frequently

■

■

mentioned was home help. This was followed by peer support, income, treatment and respite, support from teachers, advice, transport and money for renovations. Young carers also wanted to receive more of these supports, in particular home help, respite, peer support and support from teachers.

Where home help was not sufficient, young carers felt over-burdened. Many also felt that

■

■

they did not have enough information about the medical condition in question or about future care needs.

The young carers performed many different kinds of tasks. All reported performing domestic

■

■

tasks; 19 reported performing general care; 17 performed child care; 16 provided intimate care; 7 provided emotional support, and 7 provided ‘other’ kinds of support.

Intimate care tasks included bathing, toileting and dressing. both male and female carers

■

■

provided intimate care; in some cases, girls provided intimate care to a parent and to brothers.

The negative impacts of caring on the young carers included physical symptoms (such as

■

■

back strain caused by lifting an adult) and in some cases their education was impacted negatively by distraction and absences from school. While most gave positive reports of their social life, caring also restricted their time to socialise with peers. Nearly all reported feeling more mature than their peers, although some did not welcome the extra responsibilities of caring. In some cases, the young carers worried about the future care needs of the person being cared for.

Primary carers also reported both positive and negative impacts in the various areas

■

■

mentioned above, although in some cases education in particular was negatively affected.

of the 21 young carers performing intimate and/or general care, some were affected in

■

■

positive ways in respect of education, social life and emotions, while others experienced absences from school, inability to meet friends and excessive worry and anxiety.

Although the proportion of male young carers who were primary carers and performed

■

■

intimate and/or general tasks was similar to the proportion among female young carers, nonetheless, in some households care tasks were taken up by female carers even when other male siblings were available and able to help.

FINdINgS FROM