Caring Labor

In: The annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Volume 561, p. 27-38

Abstract

Caring has two different aspects: the motivation & the activity of caring for others. Furthermore, good quality care depends on the developing relationship between a carer & the person cared for. In paid employment, however, relationships are usually assumed to be reduced to an exchange transaction & motivation to be simply monetary, provoking concern about whether paying for care diminishes its quality & authenticity. Similar issues have arisen in the context of emotional labor more generally. Much emotional labor, however, is of a transitory nature in which no long-term relationship is set up between worker & customer. It is argued here that, because of the relationship that tends to develop, paid caring may not be so different from unpaid caring. Rather, caring occupations should be seen as part of a whole class of occupations that are not fully commodified, in which workers have motivations that are not purely monetary & also care about the results of their work. 13 References. Adapted from the source document.