Beyond Caring Labour to Provisioning Work

Although women have long been members of the labour force, the proportion of domestic, caring, and community work they provide compared to men or the state has yet to decrease substantially. Beyond Caring Labour to Provisioning Work offers a powerful new framework for understanding women's work in a holistic sense, acknowledging both their responsibilities in supporting others as well as their employment duties.

Beyond Caring Labour to Provisioning Work is based on a four-year, multi-site study of women who are members of contemporary community organizations. The authors reveal the complex ways in which these women define and value their own work, investigating what supports and constrains their individual and collective efforts. Calling on the state to assist more with citizens' provisioning responsibilities, Beyond Caring Labour to Provisioning Work provides an excellent basis for new discussions on equitable and sustainable public policies.

Sheila M. Neysmith is a professor in the Factor-Inwentash School of Social Work at the University of Toronto. Marge Reitsma-Street is a professor emerita in the Studies in Policy and Practice Program and the School of Social Work at the University of Victoria. Stephanie Baker Collins is an associate professor in the School of Social Work at McMaster University. Elaine Porter is an associate professor in the Department of Sociology at Laurentian University.