Care Leaves and Care Time for All

Andrea Doucet is Distinguished Professor at the Department of Sociology and the Centre for Women’s and Gender Studies, Brock University, and Honorary Professor at the UCL Social Research Institute, University College London. Peter Moss is Emeritus Professor at the Thomas Coram Research Unit, UCL Institute of Education, University College London.

“People often listen politely to ideas about Caring Democracy and then dismiss them because they believe that there is no way to get there from here. Doucet and Moss demonstrate that, starting from existing policies and thinking about the requirements of care – relationality, responsiveness and responsibility – it is possible to craft and implement public policies to create caring democracies, caring economies and a caring world. Their ‘bold, yet modest proposal’ is indeed a way to create a transformed world in which the economy is reorganised so that there can be time and space for everyone to care for everyone and everything of importance. Because bold action is, as they insist, the only way forward in this time of polycrisis. These proposals deserve to be widely read, discussed and implemented by everyone committed to democracy and to the health of the planet.” Joan C. Tronto, University of Minnesota (Emerita) “Doucet and Moss challenge us to think differently about care: how care is valued, provided and received. At a time of care crisis globally, this book is greatly needed. Written with wisdom and years of policy experience behind them, Doucet and Moss provide a text that is a must-read for all who are interested in the public and private provision of care.” Marian Baird, University of Sydney “Demonstrating welfare, policy and temporal imagination, Doucet and Moss creatively propose a world organised around an ethic of care. A ‘real utopia’ is accessibly discussed. Inclusive ideas for extending ‘care leaves’ and mechanisms to support ‘care time’, built on seeds of present policies, are doable. Their welcome proposal can ultimately and ambitiously contribute towards transforming capitalism into a care economy. This is a must-read.” Mary P Murphy, Maynooth University “Grounded in ILO research, frameworks and global policy debates, this book advances an inclusive and pioneering proposal for rights-based care leaves and care time for all. It responds to the care crisis at a time of polycrisis by promoting universal, life-course access to care and its provision, including self-care, and contributes to a sea change towards more caring economies, democracies and worlds.” Laura Addati, Maternity Protection and Work–Family Specialist and Coordinator of the ILO Plan of Action on Decent Work and the Care Economy

• Introduction: ‘Creating time and space for care' 1. Concepts: care, care time, caring democracies, caring economies,and caring worlds2. Contexts: care crises and a polycrisis 3.Care leaves across time: selective histories and key issues4. A bold, yet modest proposal: care leaves and care time for all5. Care entitlements: imagining caring democracies, economies,and worldsConclusion: ‘We Need a Global Political Awakening’