ABSTRACT
The focus of this chapter is a sociological examination of the concept of caring. Unlike other chapters in the book, the period under scrutiny is relatively short, from the mid-1970s to the present day. This is because, up until the mid-1970s, caring was largely unproblematised in sociology, hidden in the family and in normative, functionalist notions about women and women’s role in the family and society. The newness of caring as a topic of sociological investigation should not, however, lead the reader to assume that the field of enquiry is a small one. There has been a huge amount of empirical research and sociological theorising about caring over the last twenty years or so. Much of this analysis, particularly in the early stages, has its roots in feminist writing and action. More recently, the debates have been driven by disabled writers and by a wider structural perspective – one which forefronts the importance of ‘race’, class, age and disability, as well as gender issues.
