Work and Care

Changes in individuals’ work and family lives have contributed to the outsourcing of care work. Today, the market, rather than the family, provides help and services in almost all aspects of life. Children are raised by nannies and in day-care centers. Geriatric nurses take care of the elderly in their private homes as well as in nursing homes. Career coaches and marriage counsellors offer emotional support and advice in difficult life situations.

How are these markets organized, under which conditions they emerge? What consequences the personal and often intimate aspects of such jobs have for the individuals who perform them.This is the goal of the new WZB junior research group Work and Care, head by Lena Hipp.

Some care work, however, is still provided by family members. Therefore, the research group will also examine the consequences of this care work when performed by non-traditional providers, for examplefathers taking parental leave.