Implications in caring for a sick family member: black women caregivers

Abstract

Introduction: The disadvantages linked to the female gender are viewed in different aspects of life, through patriarchy. It is possible to understand that, in the case of black women, they are disadvantaged in the face of social structures, crossed by class, race and gender conditioning factors. In addition, it is seen that, in several cases, female caregivers, especially black women, do not voluntarily choose this role within the family environment. Objective: To identify the implications of care for a sick family member performed by black women caregivers considering their sociocultural conditions. Methodology: This work is an integrative review, whose search in the database was carried out in December 2020, where 3 results were found in the Web of Science database, 48 in the PubMed database and 29 in the LILACS database. After reading the abstracts of the 80 articles and applying the exclusion criteria, 7 articles were selected for full reading. Finally, 4 articles were included for analysis. Results: Only one study exclusively addressed women, and most were African Americans. Data indicate that, within a quilombola community, health care is passed on from the oldest to the youngest, as a symbol of respect for ancestral knowledge. In addition, it became evident that African-American caregivers of people with dementia need quality information about care and self-care, requiring resources in their community. Conclusion: It is possible to notice the inequalities according to the historical, political and cultural constructions caused, in order to differentiate men and women in family care. There is a need for debates that focus on the black population, especially caregivers, aiming at strategies to reduce their burden to care for sick family members.