Ethics of Care

Ethics of Care is a fundamental political theory about caring and being cared for, originally developed by feminist scholars. It has been an emerging theoretical field since the 1980s. Care is strongly related to citizens’ quality of life, and thereby, discussions about the allocation of care are highly relevant in every democratic society (1). Discussing the distribution of care responsibilities may provide opportunities to open closed political systems to the genuine concerns of citizens and, ultimately, social justice (1).

What is Care?

Tronto defines care as ‘activities we do to remain, continue, and repair our world so that we may live in it as well as possible’ (p. 3). Care is about meeting needs, and relates to relationships between citizens and their environment (1). The Ethics of Care theory distinguishes five phases of care, which can be used to evaluate care processes in families, social networks, organizations, (local) governments, and even in a global context. The first phase is caring about: noticing unmet care needs. The second phase is caring for: taking up the responsibility to meet care needs. The third phase is care-giving: delivering care. The fourth phase is care-receiving: evaluating the effectiveness of care after care has been received, either by the receiver or the provider(s) of care. The fifth phase is caring with: evaluating whether care needs are met in a way that is consistent with democratic commitments to justice, equality and freedom. This final phase relates to care as a democratic process and is the core of the Ethics of Care theory (1).

Power Dynamics in the Distribution of Care Responsibilities

According to Tronto (1), the current organization of care is characterized by structures of power and inequality. As a result, some people are exploited, while others use their power to escape their care responsibilities. She refers to this process as ‘privileged irresponsibility’. Privileged irresponsibility can be defined as the ways in which the division of labor and existing social values allow some individuals to escape from care tasks (1). In family contexts, this could for example be providing an income (1). In organizational contexts, the division of individual care responsibilities may be unclear which makes it easier to pass them on to others, in particular for people in a position of power. Privileged irresponsibility may also occur when mandatory tasks, like administration, are given priority over actual care responsibilities. When care responsibilities are not met sufficiently, emphasizing factors beyond the control of the individual or the organization is often used as a strategy to mitigate responsibilities (2).

According to Tronto (1) privileged irresponsibility needs to be recognized and the distribution of care responsibilities needs to be prioritized on the political agenda (1). A new distribution of care responsibilities requires a shift from (economic) competition and distrust towards equality and trust. The Ethics of Care theory takes a moral stance in arguing that all citizens have a shared responsibility for care. A first step towards re-thinking the distribution of care is to acknowledge that every human starts as an extremely vulnerable creature, and may experience vulnerability during different phases of life. Thereby, citizens should acknowledge their interdependence. Care actors may become care receivers and vice versa. Fading boundaries between the self and others may result in more empathy when it comes to the distribution of care responsibilities (1). Organizations should regularly reflect on whether they fulfil their care responsibilities, and how power dynamics play a role in this process (3). Debating the distribution of care responsibilities, both in family contexts, as well as in organizational and political contexts, is an important step towards change. When more people take their care responsibilities, more care needs will be met in an adequate way, which leads to social justice (1).

Ethics of Care and the Social Theory

Responsibilities in addressing complex social issues are often diffuse, which creates a favorable environment for privileged irresponsibility. To address complex social issues, individuals, organizations and governments need to re-think their responsibilities. Dialogues about the distribution of care responsibilities are crucial for social change. The Social Theory involves dialogue about the distribution of care responsibilities in order to reach mutual understanding. Ultimately, these dialogues between individuals, organizations and governments will lead to new agreements on a fair distribution of care responsibilities, in which they all have their share.

References

Tronto JC. Who cares?: how to reshape a democratic politics: Cornell University Press; 2015.
Young IM. Responsibility and global justice: A social connection model. Social philosophy and policy. 2006;23(1):102-30.
Tronto JC. Creating caring institutions: Politics, plurality, and purpose. Ethics and social welfare. 2010;4(2):158-71.

Old Stuff

Disclaimer: Ehtics of Care in de grondverf.

Notes (September 7, 2020)

Based on “Who cares (Joan C. Tronto, 10 januari 2015)”.
Definition of care: In the most general sense, care is a species activity that includes everything we do to maintain, continue, and repair our world so that we may live in it as well as possible. (Page 3) This corresponds to an acceptable way of living in relation with fellow citizens and environment.
Care is about meeting needs, and it is always relational. (Page 4) This corresponds with co-arising, that is, co-evolution through co-creation.
Four phases (Page 5):
1. Caring about: identifying caring needs;
2. Caring for: accepting responsibility;
3. Caregiving: taking care;
4. Care-receiving: evaluating care situations.

This is a never ending process akin to the social theory.

A democracy should be based on care. In short, a functioning democracy is full of people who are attentive, responsible, competent, and responsive. (Page 7)
Paradox: Democracy requires that people be equal, but mainly, care is about inequality. How can we think about turning something that is so unequal into something that is equal? (Page 13)
Principle 5: Caring with: a reciprocate activity. (Page 14)
- Additional notes (November 8, 2020):
  - Interaction: transactional versus EoC
  - Somehow, sometime, someone is given something in return, that is, eventually, you will be rewarded, not necessarily in a material way (goods, money), but also in the form of recognition and/or respect.
  - You will not be necessarily rewarded by the people that you supported.
  - There can be a large time gap between giving and being rewarded.

Definition of democracy: Democracy is the allocation of caring responsibilities and assuring that everyone can participate in those allocations as completely as possible. (Page 15)
Privileged irresponsibility (Page 29):
- I am not good at caring;
- I am busy working;
- I am taking care of my own family;
- Bootstraps worked for me, and will for you.

Networks of equals stimulate trust, as opposed to hierarchies. (Page 36)
Solidarity, as a social value, creates the conditions for caring among people and for greater responsiveness to democratic values. (Page 36)

Ethics of Care w.r.t. Social Theory

Ethics of Care is based on the relational aspects of being human. Humans are social beings, that is, they are mutual dependent and co-evolve through co-creation. This corresponds with the WGTM principle.
It is also based on Mutual Understanding (MU). That is, to understand each other’s point of view, needs, etc. This leads to solidarity: awareness → trust → connectedness → caring with. Critical social theory is aimed at discerning underlying mechanism that sustain imbalances in power at the expense of oppressed groups. In a more modern context, critical social theory is geared toward finding the mechanisms that inhibit the development of individuals and groups. EMM/CSH leans to this theory so in a sense it is a normative methodology. However, it can be argued that only the mechanisms are exposed. Nothing more, nothing less. This is how a democracy is supposed to function. It is up to the stakeholders to discuss the findings and set directions for future developments.
Ethics of Care pushes the adoptation of new cultural/social values (as opposed to neoliberalism-market view). As such, it is normative because it lays down the rules for an assessment framework. This corresponds with finding Shared Meaning (SM) in the context of an Ethics of Care – based philosophy.

Referenties

Who Cares? How to Reshape a Democratic Politics, Joan C. Tronto, Cornell University Press, 10 januari 2015.

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