Neoliberal values and the workplace: a way forward through capabilities and care

Abstract

The neoliberal reality of the past 40 years has caused changes is the workplace, Work conditions have changed restricting people’s freedom and compromising their well-being, often not allowing them to develop our human abilities in the way they chose to. This paper focuses on a neglected aspect of neoliberalism that contributes to this problem: the orientation of the core values of neoliberalism. This paper will argue that the value system of neoliberalism is structured on what can be characterized as ‘male’ values and this leads to a fragmentation of the labour experience altering the lived experience of work for the vast majority of people. It will further argue that to reverse this state of affairs a fundamental shift in our values is required and important insights for this can be found in the capabilities approach and the ethics of care.