Abstract
Background
This article discusses care in a familiar environment, by women, that are considered responsible for the care of feeding, sanitizing, and medicating a family member. The care is exercised in long journeys by women caring for husbands, parents, siblings, and grandparents, without having employment or receiving remuneration.
Objective
To analyze how they expose their feelings about the process of caring for the other.
Method
This is a qualitative and exploratory research conducted with semi-structured interviews of autobiographical characters with 18 women that are the main caregivers of a sick or a dependent family member. It was sought in the report of the life story of each woman apprehending their perceptions about the process of caring, the subjectivities, and feelings arising from this relationship. The care exercised in a family environment is not recognized, thus being an invisible work. The results are analyzed from the perspective of the ethics of care.
Results
The participants express their dedication to the care of others naturalizing the management of caring, and feeling responsible for the life of others. They demonstrate feelings of resignation, obligation, impotence, and conformism. They complain about the lack of support for a dignified life.
Conclusion
The care exercised by women in a family environment is invisible work because it is not socially recognized.
Keywords:
women; familiar caregiver; ethics of care