Table 3 Inclusion/ exclusion criteria

Types of studies

Peer-reviewed qualitative studies and qualitative data from mixed methods studies, published between 2000 and 2020, are written in English or Greek language and have a full-text availability.

Studies using quantitative methodologies. Secondary analyses. Grey literature.

Types of participants

Adults, informal primary family caregivers at the time of the interview to older relatives aged 60 years and above with mental and physical health needs.

Participants who spend less than 20 h per week. Participants who provide care at the end of life.

Types of setting

Any residencies where primary caregiving takes place independently of geographical location and cultural context.

Long term care settings, nursing homes, and hospitals where informal caregiving is occasionally taking place.

Outcome measures

Studies focus exclusively on the participants’ caregiving experiences and provide a gender analysis or report outcomes concerning participants’ gender.

Studies report only an assignment of the participants’ sex to specific caregiving tasks and do not perform any further gender analysis or report results relevant to their gender.