Abstract

Caring labor has emerged as a wide-ranging field of study. Industrialized nations have experienced a significant increase in female labor participation, which has been both the cause and the result of changes in the way care is provided. In the United States, the New Deal legislation cared for the population with new measures intended to provide greater security. Because pension, health, and welfare benefits were tied to employment, the provision of care remained gendered. Scholarly study of caring labor examines such changes and considers the prospects for labor and social movements to provide quality care for all.