The global care sector has traditionally been characterised as a female-dominated field, with caregiving closely associated with women’s roles due to longstanding gender norms. However, the increasing presence of men particularly migrant men in care work challenges these entrenched assumptions, prompting a critical examination of not only the evolving landscape of caregiving but also the intricate ways in which masculinity is being redefined in this context.

The Evolving Dynamics of Care Work

Historically, caregiving has been viewed predominantly through a gendered lens, with women assuming the majority of both professional and domestic care responsibilities. While this remains largely the case, a subtle but significant shift is occurring as men, particularly migrant men begin to occupy roles in the care sector. Though their numbers are relatively modest, their participation signals an important transformation that warrants scholarly attention. This shift invites a re-evaluation of the conventional narrative of care as a feminized domain, encouraging a deeper understanding of the complexities of care work in the context of gender, care work and migration.

Masculinity in Transition: Redefining Identity in Care Work

For migrant men entering the care profession, the experience often involves navigating a complex terrain where traditional masculinity is in tension with the nurturing demands of their roles as care workers. Research into caring masculinities reveals that these men undergo a process of identity negotiation, where they reconcile societal expectations of masculinity with the caregiving responsibilities they perform. Rather than simply adapting traditional masculine traits to caregiving, many of these men engage in an ongoing redefinition of their identities, where carework becomes integrated into, rather than opposed to, their sense of masculinity.

In practice, this may involve drawing on qualities associated with masculine ideals, such as physical strength or technical proficiency, while also embracing forms of emotional labour and nurturing that have traditionally been feminised. This dynamic not only redefines conventional understandings of masculinity but also broadens the conceptual boundaries of what it means to care.

The Transnational Dimension: Care Across Borders

The complexities of care work are heightened for migrant men engaged in transnational caregiving, as they balance professional care roles in their host countries with familial responsibilities back home. In transnational care literature, women have long been the focus, particularly in reconciling paid care work with emotional labour, such as transnational motherhood. This body of work highlights how women provide economic and emotional care across borders, while men’s roles are often reduced to that of breadwinners through remittances.

However, recent research reveals that migrant men also perform transnational emotional labour, maintaining familial connections through communication, advice, and emotional support. This challenges the narrow perception that men’s contributions to care are limited to financial provision. While remittances are important, framing them as the sole form of care oversimplifies men’s roles. The debate over whether financial support alone constitutes caregiving is central, as care is often seen as requiring relational, and emotional involvement.

The transnational context complicates this further, raising critical questions about whether care can be fully realised when mediated by distance, technology, and economic provision. This invites a more nuanced understanding of migrant men’s roles in transnational caregiving, recognising their contributions beyond remittances and expanding the conceptualisation of care to include the emotional labour they perform from afar.

Structural Challenges and Resilience in the Care Sector

Migrant men working in care roles encounter a range of barriers that are exacerbated by their status as men in a female-dominated profession, as well as by their racial or ethnic identities. While men in caregiving roles have historically benefitted from the “glass escalator” effect—where they ascend more rapidly than their female counterparts in traditionally female professions—migrant men often find themselves navigating a far more hostile environment. They are frequently subjected to intersecting forms of discrimination based on their migrant status, gender, and ethnicity, which limits their opportunities for advancement within the care sector.

Despite these challenges, many migrant men demonstrate considerable resilience, adapting to their roles in ways that challenge normative gender expectations. Through their engagement in care work, they not only contribute to the redefinition of masculinity but also offer a critique of the rigid gender binaries that have long dominated discussions around labour, care, and gendered identity.

Towards a More Inclusive Understanding of Care

The increasing visibility of migrant men in caregiving roles underscores the need for a more inclusive understanding of care work, one that recognises the contributions of diverse actors within this field. This shift necessitates the development of policies and organisational cultures that support and value the participation of all caregivers, irrespective of gender, migration status, or ethnic background.

However, while it is crucial to highlight the experiences of migrant men in the care sector, we must also remain cognisant of the broader context in which women continue to perform the majority of care work both paid and unpaid. Women’s contributions remain undervalued, often occurring under precarious conditions that reflect the persistent inequalities within the global care economy. Thus, the objective is not to elevate men’s roles above women’s but rather to cultivate a more nuanced understanding of care that acknowledges its diverse forms and practitioners.

Conclusion

The experiences of migrant men in care work offer a critical perspective on the intersections of gender, migration, and caregiving. Their involvement challenges traditional gendered conceptions of care, prompting a rethinking of caregiving as a human endeavour that transcends gendered boundaries. This reconceptualisation highlights the fluidity of caregiving roles and the need to dismantle entrenched gender norms within the care sector.

Recognising the contributions of migrant men alongside those of women deepens our understanding of the diverse manifestations of caregiving in a globalised context. However, this recognition must be situated within broader structural inequalities that shape the global care economy, including labour rights, migration policies, and the systemic undervaluation of care work. The study of migrant men in care roles highlights the importance of an intersectional framework in care research, revealing how gender, migration status, race, and class intersect to create distinct experiences for different groups of care workers. 

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