Without care work, the economy collapses – why do we treat this work so poorly?

Looking after children, caring for relatives, cooking, cleaning, or providing emotional support – all of this is part of so-called care work. Without these activities, our society and economy would not function. Nevertheless, care work is often poorly paid or not recognized as work at all.

Care work encompasses all activities where people look after others. This includes, for example, caring for children, looking after the elderly, or doing housework. A large part of this work happens in the private sphere – usually within families. Many people perform care work daily without being paid for it. Women, in particular, often take on these tasks. Studies show that they perform significantly more unpaid care work than men. At the same time, many women also work in the paid care sector, for example in nursing professions, kindergartens, or social institutions.

The problem: Although this work is socially indispensable, it is often poorly paid or taken for granted.

Without caregiving, there would be no functioning economy.

Political scientist Nancy Fraser argues that care work is a central foundation of our economy. This is because before people can work, they must be raised, cared for, and supported.

Children need care and education, sick people need nursing care, and elderly people need support. All of these activities fall under what is known as social reproduction – in other words, the processes that enable daily life and the functioning of society. Fraser emphasizes: Economic production and social reproduction are closely linked. Without care work, there would be no labor force, no functioning families, and thus no stable economy.

Our economic system needs care – but simultaneously undermines it.

Despite its central importance, care work is coming under increasing pressure. Fraser therefore speaks of a „care crisis.“ One reason for this lies in the economic system itself. Companies constantly try to reduce costs and increase profits. At the same time, society and the state often expect families to take on care work.

However, many people have less time for this today. In many households, both parents work full-time. At the same time, the need for care and support is increasing due to demographic change. The result: the demands of care work are growing, while time, resources, and personnel remain scarce.

Wealthy countries often solve care problems with migrants from poorer countries.

Another effect of the care crisis can be seen in so-called global care chains. In these chains, migrants from poorer countries often take on care work in wealthier states.

Many families in Europe, for example, employ caregivers from Eastern Europe or Southeast Asia. These women look after children or the elderly – often under worse working conditions. At the same time, their work is then missing in their own families or countries of origin. Care work is thus shifted along global inequalities.

The central question: Why do we treat such important work so poorly?

For Nancy Fraser, the care crisis reveals a fundamental problem: our economy relies on care work, but it's poorly organized. One possible solution is to understand care more as a societal task. This includes better working conditions in the care sector, more public childcare, and a fairer distribution of care work between men and women.

Because one thing is clear: no society functions without care. Anyone who talks about the economy, work, and social justice must therefore also talk about care.