Carework and caring: A path to gender equitable practices among men in South Africa?

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between men who engage in carework and commitment to gender equity. The context of the study was that gender inequitable masculinities create vulnerability for men and women to HIV and other health concerns. Men were engaged in different forms of carework and their motivations to be involved differed. Some men did carework out of necessity while others saw it as part of a commitment to making a better world. Only when care had an emotional resonance did it relate to gender equity commitment. The authors conclude that: * engagement in carework precipitated a process of identity and value transformation in some men suggesting that support for carework still deserves to be a goal of interventions to ‘change men’ * changing the gender of carework contributes to a more equitable gender division of labour and challenges gender stereotypes * interventions that promote caring also advance gender equity