The Gender Dynamics, Transformative Potential and Boundaries of Care

Abstract

In Chapter 1 we highlighted feminist work on the gendered division of labour, particularly, within the home. Feminists in the 1980s attributed the dominance of women in the caring role to societal constructions of gender and family role, and identified these constructions as a major barrier to women’s full participation in the public sphere (Baldwin & Twigg, 1991; Finch & Groves, 1983; Graham, 1983; Land, 1978). Recent empirical work examining caring responsibilities within the home has raised the possibility that the gendered division of labour, in part due to the efforts of feminisms, is no longer as significant (Baxter, 1992; Lupton & Barclay, 1997; Sullivan, 2000; Ungerson, 2000). The last census in 2001 appeared to indicate that men and women are providing similar levels of unpaid care within families (ONS, 2007); while, women, including women with children, are entering and staying in employment in greater numbers than ever seen before. A growing percentage of households with children are co-habiting families and their patterns of caring responsibility suggest a greater level of equal sharing than found in married couples (ONS, 2007).