DISABILITY, PRIVATE/PUBLIC DIVIDE

The gendered nature of care giving of the disabled is discussed against the background of feminist positions on care and paid work. It is argued that the private/public divide persist and that tradition-al family ideology serves to create a double or even triple bind as most care giving is done by women. An overview of research literature, popular literature and materials provided by support groups illus-trate the extent to which this ideology persists. It is argued that we have to challenge the notion that care is primarily women’s work. An increased life expectancy, coupled with the ageing of the baby boom generation, is impacting disability demographics. At the same time, advances in intervention after stroke and head injury are increasing sur-vivor rates. Prior to 2001 estimates were that one and a half to two million people in the US will sustain brain injury every year, with 70,000 to 90,000 experiencing long-term impairments. The lifetime cost of long-term care per individual can exceed millions (Degeneffe, 2001). More recently, the war in Afghanistan and Iraq has caused a spike in the number of head injuries. In most cases it is within the context of family that stroke an