Table 1 Data extraction table

Qamar Abbas et al., 2008

Pakistan, India

Cross-sectional

Yes

Mean age - Pakistan- 42.8 yrs India- 35.4 yrs

Care Provider

Care Provider perspective: Attitude towards euthanasia - In Pakistan, male doctors were more likely to be in favor of euthanasia compared to female doctors while no such differences were found in India.

Kamath et al., 2011

India

Cross-sectional

No

Not given

Care Provider

Care Provider perspective: Attitude towards euthanasia - In India, there was no significant difference in opinion regarding euthanasia between the genders

Dworzanowski-Venter, 2017

South Africa

Qualitative

Yes

Not given

Caregiver and Care Provider

Care Provider perspective: Perception towards care provision– Female oncology nurses viewed emotional labor as central to their job, while males regarded it as peripheral. Male nurses also faced stigma, including being thought of as “gay” due to their profession. Caregiver perspective: Perceptions towards caregiving - Caregiving is seen as “women’s work”, conflicting with traditional norms of masculinity. Male caregivers reported that caregiving requires an emotional component that conflicts with societal expectations of masculinity. They face pressure to pursue a more masculine careers and remain in caregiving only if the professional recognition outweighs societal judgments. Women, seen as natural caregivers, are expected to prioritize other’s needs over their own.

Vijayalakshmi et al., 2018

India

Cross-sectional

Yes

Mean age − 36.8 +/- 9.1 yrs

Care Provider

Care Provider perspective: Attitude towards euthanasia– Among Indian nurses, males were more supportive of euthanasia, endorsing patient autonomy in decisions like stopping nutritional support if a patient desired euthanasia. Female nurses opposed ceasing CPR in cases of sudden respiratory and cardiac arrest when a patient desires euthanasia and were less likely to view caring for a terminally ill patient as a burden for relatives. No gender differences were found in attitudes regarding euthanasia application, the right to live decently, and family involvement in euthanasia decisions. However, more females disagreed with the statement that “fear of death shows differences due to religious beliefs”.

Jorge et al., 2019

Brazil

Cross-sectional

Yes

Mean age − 69yrs

Patient

Patient perspective: End-of-life preferences - Men significantly preferred home as place of death than women.

Jorge et al., 2019

Brazil

Cross-sectional

Yes

Mean age − 69yrs

Patient

Patient perspective: End-of-life preferences - Preference to always be informed about symptoms and problems was greater among men than women. Being a woman was found to be a significant protective factor for always wanting to be informed about limited time left.

Mkandawire-Valhmu et al., 2020

Malawi

Qualitative

Yes

Patient age- 18–24 (1), 25–34 (6), 35–44 (4), 45–64 (11), 65+ (1), unknown − 3 Caregiver age- 18–29 (3), 30–49 (4), 50–59 (7)

Caregiver and patient

Patient perspective: Challenges - Female patients at EOL faced emotional, physical, and sexual violence, with many abandoned by partners when too weak for intimacy. Caregiver perspective: Perceptions towards caregiving– Caregiving responsibilities often fall on females, even minors, impacting their education despite the presence of male household members. Caregiver perspective: Challenges - Women caregivers reported increased domestic violence, including physical, emotional, and sexual abuse during EOL caregiving, when their coping and problem-solving capacities were strained. Many women caregivers viewed marriage as financial security. However, this expectation often collapsed during EOL caregiving, as some men abandoned their spouses or escalated acts of violence, further compromising their caregiving quality.

Shahbaz et al., 2022

Pakistan

Cross-sectional

Yes

18–85 yrs

Patient

Patient perspective: Perception towards caregiving - Both male and female patients perceived females as more quality caretakers due to their warmth, politeness, care, and love. However, female cancer patients were found to respond more positively to male caregivers, attributing this to their empathy.