This article discusses and outlines the processes of giving care to men with chronic kidney disease, in which care-giving identities are constituted. This study has derived from qualitative research carried out at the Hemodialysis Sector in the Clinical Hospital (Hospital de Clínicas) in Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil. Semi-structured interviews were carried out among ten caregivers and then analyzed from a post-critical cultural theory perspective. From these interviews, the following topics received focus: impacts on physical and mental health; ways of dealing with men's growing dependence; reconfiguration of affectionate relationships; feelings of hope/hopelessness and/or joy/anger; among others. Speech analyses reveal the argument that caregivers mobilize gender representations that institute care as both a feminine essence and the fate of women. At the same time, caregivers redefine themselves and their social and cultural environments through their respective care processes.
Chronic kidney disease; Care; Culture; Identity