CENTRE FOR POLITICAL STUDIES(CPS)

JAWAHARLAL NEHRU UNIVERSITY

SESSION: 2022-23

TERM PAPER

PO414N: POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY KEY CONCEPTS

SUBMITTED TO: PROFESSOR RAJARSHI

DASGUPTA SIR

SUBMITTED BY: EVENIYA NADIA

ENROLMENT NUMBER: 22/62/HP/023

M.A. 1ST SEMESTER

INTRODUCTION
Diemut Bubeck, a German philosopher and feminist, has written extensively about the
concept of care, particularly in the context of ethics and social justice. Bubeck argues that
care is a fundamental ethical value that is often overlooked in traditional ethical frameworks
that prioritize individual autonomy and rights. In her view, care should be understood as a
relational concept that recognizes our interconnectedness and interdependence as
human beings. Care can be defined as an activity which is aimed at meeting the needs of
others. It is other directed and beneficial to others, it involves the efforts, energy, and
time of the carer.
Bubeck addresses the part of necessary labour which is basically performed by women which
largely remains undervalued and unrecognised that has been overlooked by Marx.

CARE AS DIFFERENT FROM PRODUCTION

Unpaid choice: Women’s work is typically directed towards meeting other people’s needs
while production work is geared towards maximizing one’s own benefits.
Care cannot be automated: The constraints posed by necessary labour would by eliminated
by increased productivity and abundance through the usage of automation but the work
performed by women to some extent can be automated (like washing machines, dish washer,
vacuum cleaner) but solution to necessary labour of child care and caring work, cannot be
possibly automated or if automated it would lead to A dystopic society of robotised ‘care’
and ‘parenting.’
Power Differential: care often involves relationship of asymmetrical transaction of
benefits between carer and cared for, which is usually one-sided dependency. Production,
while also involving power dynamics between owning and working class but is typically
governed by formal laws and regulations.
Gender and cultural norms: care is often associated with femininity and hence devalued in
many societies. Production, on the other hand, is typically associated with masculinity and is
highly valued in many societies.
Material net burden: unlike production activities, caring is not mutually beneficial. If carer
is not remunerated in some way in kind or cash, she incurs a material net burden. Caring can
be both rewarding or burdensome depending on the time and space.

NATURE OF CARE AS AN ACTIVITY

Care is a kind of work that not only needs to be done, but that people need to do. It
involves human beings, carers, and those cared for as human beings, communicating,
and interacting with each other, and it requires the exercise of our distinctive capacities:
language and thought and a complex emotional life that allows us to empathize with and
understand others and meet their very individual needs.
Care can be defined as an emotional state or to an activity or blend of the two. It means
‘providing for’ and ‘looking after’ it could be possible even with interaction for e.g.,
Daughter providing for her parents without ever even seeing those she cares for. However,
usually care does include interaction between carer and cared for.
The activities which could not be performed by the persons for whom they are done,
hence insofar as they meet a need that could not be met by the cared got themselves, would
qualify as care such as Washing one’s children’s clothes or cleaning one’s sick mother’s flat.
However, if other is capable of meeting her own needs, but others meet those needs for her,
then they are providing a service not care. Thus, the housewife cooking a meal for her
husband is proving a service, while her cooking the same meal for an infant would be care.
Caring hence makes those in need necessarily depend on others for their survival. If
cared for is not provided with adequate care by carer, it might result in serious harm or even
death.
Caring does not require the existence of an emotional bond between carer and cared for or
acts of expressive of an emotional bond are not necessarily care.

POWER REALTIONS STRUCTURED BETWEEN CARER AND CARED FOR

The most important attributes in caretaker are – attentiveness, receptivity, and
responsiveness. Attentiveness can be defined as attempts to receive a reality rather than to
impose it. Responsiveness, refers to willingness and ability to respond to the needs of cared
for in a right way, which involves considerable experience and knowledge in carer.
The power structure relations between the carer and the cared for can be complex and
multifaceted. It is important to recognize that the power dynamic between the two is not
necessarily fixed or static, but can change over time and depending on the specific
circumstances of the caregiving relationship.
Some factors that may influence the power structure relations between the carer and the cared
for include:
1. The nature and severity of the care needs: The more dependent the cared for is on
the carer for their basic needs, the greater the power the carer may hold in the
relationship.
2. The carer's expertise and knowledge: If the carer has specialized knowledge or
expertise in caring for the cared for's specific needs, they may hold more power and
control in the relationship.
3. The social and cultural context: Social and cultural factors, such as gender roles and
expectations, may influence the power dynamic between the carer and the cared for.
For example, if caregiving is seen as a natural responsibility of women, female
caregivers may hold less power in the relationship.
4. The cared for's agency and autonomy: The cared for's ability to make decisions and
exercise agency in their own care can influence the power dynamic between the carer
 and the cared for. If the cared for can make decisions about their own care, they may
hold more power in the relationship.
Consequently, the power balance between carer and cared for undergoes a
reversal in favour of cared for. Thus women often spend their lives as full time
mothers or availability of doctors and nurses being in hospitals. This reversal of
power balance sometimes led to feeling of powerlessness and anger. Hence the
person taking long time care does not remain ‘her own woman’ contrary to being an
autonomous agent as held by political and moral theories.
It is important to recognize that power imbalances can lead to abuse and mistreatment of the
cared for, and steps should be taken to mitigate these risks. This can involve providing
support and resources to both the carer and the cared for, promoting a culture of respect and
equality in caregiving relationships, and ensuring that the cared for has agency and autonomy
in decision-making.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
“Women are born to be carers; Men are born to be wild.” This statement shows how in the
sexual division of labour in the society, women are assumed to care for others and men are
considered wild and physically stronger giving it a biological character. This is how surplus
labour is expropriated from women (a similarity in way, capitalists extract surplus from
labourers), this gives rise to 2 kinds of inequalities between men and women. First, most
of the provided by women is unpaid and hence remains undervalued. Second, because of this
increased burden on women, men are freer to pursue their own material interest, and women
are stuck in the vivacious cycle of exploitation hence not able to develop themselves and their
own potential to the fullest.
Bubeck provides various solutions to address this problem of exploitation of women under
the label of care, caring must be seen as a problem of social justice, it will allow care to
be seen as a social problem not just a private matter. State can provide Backup care to
ease the burden of care takers. She further suggests redefinition of citizenship in such a
manner that caring become a universal norm for every citizen. Lastly, she talks about the
solution which appears to be most feasible and appropriate which speaks about taking
caring to a whole new level of social justice.
CONCLUSION
Bubeck's work has been influential in shaping discussions about care in feminist ethics and
political theory. She argues that care should be recognized as a foundational value in ethical
and political discourse, and that policies and practices should be developed that support and
recognize the value of care work. Additionally, she argues that care should not be seen as
a purely private or individual responsibility, but as a collective responsibility that
involves communities and societies as a whole in the form of social justice.