"Choice" in filial care work: moving beyond a dichotomy.
In this paper, we discuss the concept of"choice" in filial care work. A dichotomy between choice and obligation is constructed in theoretical and empirical literature on filial care work. However, this dichotomy does not adequately reflect family caregiving experiences; for instance, choice and obligation are not mutually exclusive motivations. Rather, choice and obligation are "relational" and "contextual" and manifest in the interaction between macro- and micro-contexts. The choice-obligation dichotomy is also ideological. At the moral-political level, it promotes the downloading of responsibility by governments to family, obscures the complexity of filial relationships, and may even promote psychological ambivalence.
Funk
Laura M
LM
Centre on Aging, University of Victoria, Sedgewick Rm A123, PO Box 1700 STN CSC, British Columbia, Canada, V8W 2Y2. lmfunk@uvic.ca
Kobayashi
Karen M
KM
D032721:Adult Children; D000368:Aged; D002170:Canada; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology; D002755:Choice Behavior; D006299:Health Services for the Aged; D006801:Humans; D016901:Intergenerational Relations; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D012941:Social Responsibility