ABSTRACT
In the last chapter we analysed carework as a species of bodywork, drawing out some of its recurring features as gendered labour. In this chapter we turn to the other half of the equation, exploring the less tangible aspects of care – those encompassing feelings and emotion – exploring carework as a form of emotional labour. Carework is more often interpreted in terms of the debate on care. This arose initially out of the analysis of informal care, though it has its roots also in debates within moral and political philosophy concerning the differential responses of men and women to moral obligation (Gilligan 1982, Finch and Groves 1983, Ungerson 1987, 1990, Lewis and Meredith 1988, Larabee 1993, Parker 1993, Tronto 1993, Twigg and Atkin 1994). Though originally concerned with the private sphere, work on care has increasingly crossed over to encompass care as paid work (Graham 1991, Ungerson 1993). The classic example of this is nursing, and in the last part of the chapter we will explore the ways in which the element of care within nursing has been interpreted as part of a wider analysis of gender.
