Rediscovering care work: some reflections from the Sociology

Abstract

This paper presents some reflections on the (re) emergence of care work as object of study in contemporary sociology in the context of the crisis of care, through the prism of gender inequalities. It is argued that the debate on care has meant an update of the discussions on domestic work, identity and the place of women in late modernity. But it is not just an update. It represents a shift in focus of interest, from work to care, and the primacy of the subject. This shift in approach has advantages and disadvantages to confront the challenges arising from the "care crisis".