Welfare reform on the Web (January 2007): Social care - Overseas

The relational self and the right to give care

T. Levy

New Political Science, vol.28, 2006, p.547-570

The United States provides far less public support for family carers than other Western democracies. Caregiving is treated as a purely private matter. The burden of caregiving, moreover, falls disproportionately on those at the bottom of the traditional gender, race and class hierarchies. This article argues that caregiving should be protected and facilitated as a right in contemporary America. Public support for carers could take many forms, including the introduction of flexible working patterns, the creation of family allowances and housing subsidies, and the granting of paid leave from employment to enable people to look after sick relatives.