Culture of care: The influence of gender stereotypes on the daily routine of health

Abstract

In this study we examine the daily household chores in relation to the care and health measures that women in low-income households in the Northwest of the province of Córdoba perform in relation to their children and other members of the family. In general, the women consulted pointed to the experience of domestic work in health care as an effort that reflects the essential differences between women and men. In times of illness, women often get help from other female relatives and it is at these times when conflicts with the men of the family are triggered. The disagreement that we observed between women and their partners was accentuated by cultural beliefs that have to do with care as an innate task to women, as a kind of maternal sacrifice, as well as socio-economic factors. These private stories of women help us to observe that even today, care at home has a strong cultural content and is linked to gender.