Managing Versus Doing Care: Classed Masculinities Among Son Caregivers In Taiwan

Background and Purpose: In Taiwan, which is experiencing a rapidly ageing population, there has been an increase in the number of sons assuming caregiving roles that have historically been associated with women. This creates a critical site for examining how caring masculinity is shaped by class. Yunlin–Chiayi, a region in Taiwan that is both rapidly ageing and economically disadvantaged, offers a strategic context for analysing how structures of opportunity and constraint based on class delineate men's caregiving practices. Whilst earlier research has drawn attention to the manner in which gender boundaries are negotiated in the context of caregiving, comparatively little attention has been paid to the role of class structures in this process. The study aims to investigate how men from different socioeconomic strata enact caring masculinity through distinct strategies as son caregivers.

Method: This qualitative study draws on in-depth interviews with 22 son caregivers residing in the Yunlin–Chiayi region. Participants were purposively sampled to capture variation across socioeconomic positions. The interview data were analyzed using thematic analysis to identify class-differentiated "care scripts" and the ways in which men construct and perform caring masculinity under varying material and symbolic constraints.

Results: The findings of this study indicate that class operates as a central mechanism shaping caregiving scripts among son caregivers. Men who possess significant economic and cultural capital often adopt a "managerial" approach, whereby they outsource physical care to migrant workers while concurrently upholding filial obligations and preserving patriarchal autonomy. Conversely, men with constrained resources adopt an "embodied" or "doer" approach, undertaking rigorous physical care and converting their affliction into moral capital that serves to counteract social exclusion and stigma associated with economic dependency.

Conclusions and Implications: The differing approaches demonstrate that caring masculinity is a highly class-based concept, reflecting unequal distributions of care labour, autonomy, and social recognition. The findings emphasise the necessity for class-sensitive support systems that acknowledge the realities of managerial outsourcing of care and strengthen economic, emotional and social safety nets for male caregivers from less privileged backgrounds. Such insights can inform the design of long-term care policy and social work interventions, ensuring that the complex intersections of gender, class and family care are addressed more effectively.