照顧的性別化分工是女性主義向來關注的重要議題。本研究探討失能高齡家庭之中的家人間照顧責任劃分，究竟是鬆動既有的性別秩序？抑或是鞏固或衍生新的照顧與性別交織的效應。透過交織性觀點，分析24名新竹縣竹北市及峨眉鄉兩區域的家人主要照顧者，從家庭型態、親屬身分及性別的多重差異，了解主要照顧者成為主要照顧者的歷程、家人之間的照顧分工與協商形成不同的照顧協力類型與關係，進而分析家人照顧協力對主要照顧者所產生的影響與性別效應。
本研究發現：（1）、台灣當代社會在安排失能老人的照顧人選時，家庭的性別組成及親屬身分仍是主要因素，呈現父系家庭照顧人選性別與親屬階序相互交織的接力模式。（2）、失能高齡者的配偶比起成年子女，是失能配偶的優先照顧者，直到喪失照顧能力後，才由子代承接照顧責任。（3）、台灣家庭的父子軸原則預設了由兒子／孫子照顧優先於女兒／孫女，然而當家中兄弟缺席照顧時，已婚女兒便得承接照顧失能父／母的責任，填補父系家庭照顧的缺口，形成家人遞補照顧空缺的模式。（4）、高齡家庭照顧分工及協力呈現同代、子代與孫代直系卑親屬的先後次序、主輔位置及協力類型，其中個人照顧資源的差異是影響協力關係的主因。
隨著女性參與勞動力市場，雙薪家庭的崛起，媳婦不再是父系家庭的主要照顧者，而是從旁協助兒子執行照顧的協力者。「自己的父母，自己顧」是子代雙薪家庭夫妻協調照顧分工的結果，打破了以往傳統父系家庭的照顧性別化分工。已婚女兒亦非潑出去的水，仍須優先滿足夫家的妻職及母職，才具備照顧協商的機會，並未真正撼動父系家庭的父子軸原則。
家人照顧者與其家庭照顧協力體現了性別與父系親屬、經濟階級及城鄉相互交織而產生的照顧不平等，凸顯照顧公共化的限制及不足。本研究試圖對現行長照政策在支持家庭照顧者的措施，提出三項建議：首先，長照政策應超越目前一口氣的喘息服務，建立不同型態的家庭照顧者所需要的常態照顧休息日；第二，推進已規劃而尚未落實的夜間及假日照顧；第三，強化家庭照顧者的公民權利意識，不再囿於救助主體及消費者主體兩種思維來期待國家長期照顧服務系統，而是能夠發展出政治公民的意識，落實照顧公共化的目標。

This study investigates the complex relationships between patrilineal kinships, labor divisions of daily care for the disabled elderly, and dual-career family issues in the aging Taiwanese society. I utilize the intersectional perspective to analyze 24 family caregivers who live in Zhubei City and Emei Township, Hsinchu County, in terms of their care arrangements and the utilizations of care resources from their families. I argue that gender interplays with patrilineal kinships, material resources, and ethnic cultures formed the basis of family interactions and influenced the social practices of the elderly daily-care responsibilities.
This study reveals four main findings: (1). In contemporary Taiwanese society, the gender composition and patrilineal kinships in the family remain the most influential factors in determining who will care for the disabled elderly, resulting in a relay pattern in which the gender and kinship order of caretakers in patrilineal families are intertwined. (2). Spouses, compared with adult children are the most likely primary caregiver for the disabled elderly. Only when the spouse loses the ability to provide care do the adult children assume caregiving responsibility. (3). In Taiwanese families, the principle of the father-son axis stipulates that the care of the son or grandson takes precedence over that of the daughter or granddaughter. When the sons are absent from the care, the married daughter must assume the responsibility of caring for the disabled father or mother, continuing the patrilineal family and forming a model for supplementary care among other family members. (4). The order of patrilineal kinships determines the priority of becoming the main caregiver. And the differences of family members’ care resources influence the main and auxiliary positions of the collaborative care.
This study also shows that, due to the increased participation of women in the labor force and the prevalence of double-income families, husbands and wives are expected to care for their own parents. The daughters-in-law are no longer the primary caregivers for their in-laws. They function more as an auxiliary and cooperative force for the son’s primary caregiver, breaking the gendered division of labor in traditional families. Daughters who are married can return home to care for their disabled parents. The shifting care arrangement enables women to negotiate more effectively within the patrilineal family of their husbands, but their home care has not really challenged the father-son axis principle of patrilineal families, as their negotiation is predicated on their having fulfilled their responsibilities as a wife and mother in their husband’s home.
Numerous factors such as gender, familial ties, economic status, and urban-rural disparities, affect the joint multigenerational caregiving efforts in the household for the elderly. This study intends to make three recommendations regarding the family caregiver support for the long-term care policy. First, the long-term care policy should go beyond the current one-time respite services and establish different types of regular care rest days for family caregivers. Second, it is necessary to promote the planned but not yet implemented night and day care. Third, the subjectivities of social assistance recipients and the consumerism of family caregivers should be replaced by cultivating the awareness of civil rights. We need more political citizens’ consciousness and implement the goal of public care services.