Feminist perspectives challenge the mainstream economic theory that views households as altruistic units governed by a rational division of labor. They highlight that households are internally fragmented along gender and age lines, have elusive boundaries, and are embedded in broader socio-economic contexts. This approach reveals how households reproduce gender inequalities and are not self-contained units.
Both concepts involve the totality of work and practices needed for societal regeneration. However, care is a relational concept involving a carer and cared-for, while social reproduction is not. The care literature has been more policy-focused, while social reproduction has been more politically oriented towards radical transformations. Social reproduction also emphasizes intersecting inequalities more than care.
Feminist perspectives challenge mainstream economic theories by emphasizing social hierarchies, intersectionality, and the inclusion of previously invisibilized institutions like households. They draw on interdisciplinary tools to better understand social elements within economies and inform more equitable policy design and outcomes.
The authors faced challenges in integrating diverse research areas, deciding which ideas to prioritize, and ensuring the book was accessible to advanced students. They also had to balance including key themes with the need to provide a coherent product, considering perspectives from both the global north and south.
Odile is focusing on time-use data in global South countries, hoping to popularize its use. Sarah is exploring the connection between food and social reproduction, aiming to revive her food-related research and make this connection explicit in future work.
Challenging mainstream narratives in political economy, the new book Feminist Political Economy: A Global Perspective)* *(Agenda Publishing, 2023) serves as an introduction to a new era of critical research. It is written by Prof. Sara Cantillon), Dr. Sara Stevano) and Prof. Odile Mackett), who have carried out incredible work to deconstruct gender-blind approaches in contemporary economic research. The book brings together the most important topics in political economy and demonstrates why feminist approaches are crucial to understanding social relations. It begins with an overview of feminist political economy and then offers a nuanced perspective on care, social reproduction, inequalities in households and labour markets, and the feminisation of poverty. As mentioned in the podcast, the book not only takes a feminist approach to theory, but is also an example of the practice of feminist research, focusing for example on female scholars.
The host, Sarah Vogelsanger), is a feminist researcher, who is interested in social justice, critical migration studies and political ecology.
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