The research topic of
my essay will be around the unpaid care work in family which is mainly
conducted by female. The research question will be: What adverse consequences
can arise for women due to unpaid care work in family?
This is a topic worth
studying especially within the realm of global sustainable development because
it can be linked to several sustainable development goals (SDGs) including
goals related to poverty, education, gender equality, and economy. It is
meaningful to underline this issue to reveal the sufferings of the
disadvantaged groups for a more equal and harmonious world. Besides, this
research question is related to the meaningful topic of care, and it is
important to understand care from a theoretical aspect to better understand its
value, thus providing theoretical evidence and solid foundation for the research.
For
the initial plan of my research, I will firstly discuss about the notion of
care and feminist ethics of care to lay a foundation for the further study. The
potential literatures I will cite can be the works by Held (2005) and Norlock
(2019). Then I will present some practical data to highlight the current uneven
distribution of unpaid care work globally, drawing on a report from the United
Nations (2020). Following this, I will discuss the damage of unpaid care work
on female in different aspects. Based on my initial literature review, it will
include issues regarding with mental health, education, and economy (Seedat and
Rondon, 2021; Ferrant, Pesando and Nowacka, 2014). In this process, I will link
these issues with SDGs to discuss its impact on global sustainable development,
including issues of good health and well-being, education, gender equality, and
economic growth. By studying the research question I raise, I aim to underscore
the value of women’s unpaid care work, enhance public awareness regarding the
burdens and inequalities associated with it, and advocate for transformative
changes on the current situation.
References:
Ferrant,
G., Pesando, L.M. and Nowacka, K. (2014). Unpaid Care Work: The missing link
in the analysis of gender gaps in labour outcomes. [online] OECD.
OECD Development Centre. Available at: https://www.oecd.org/dev/development-gender/Unpaid_care_work.pdf.
Held,
V. (2005). Care as Practice and Value. The Ethics of Care, pp.29–43.
doi:https://doi.org/10.1093/0195180992.003.0003.
Norlock,
K. (2019). Feminist Ethics. Summer 2019 ed. [online] Stanford
Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Available at: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/feminism-ethics/#EthiCareFemiGendApprMora.
Seedat,
S. and Rondon, M. (2021). Women’s wellbeing and the burden of unpaid work. BMJ,
[online] 374(374). doi:https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n1972.
United
Nations (2020). World’s Women 2020. [online] worlds-women-2020-data-undesa.hub.arcgis.com.
Available at: https://worlds-women-2020-data-undesa.hub.arcgis.com/.
Feedback on your submission
This is an interesting essay plan. The focus on women’s unpaid care work in the family is relevant to the module. As I have suggested in class, it is important to contextualize the discussion. This means that the question should be reframed to bring to light the importance of thinking with care, as well as the cultural values underpinning care practices and ethos, more clearly. One possible way to move forward is to ground the discussion within a social problem, such as women’s work and employment in a particular social context, unpacking the existing debates in the field of inquiry, followed by your critical discussion on care. This will enable you to develop a more effective research agenda. Looking forward to reading the essay.