Holding Hands at Midnight: The Paradox of Caring Labor
Author(s)
Folbre, Nancy
Abstract
Work based on personal values-caring work-“poses something of a paradox for economists. If caring is its own reward, it need not command an economic return. But if caring labor receives no economic return at all, will it persist?” Since caring labor is generally preformed by women, who generally earn less then men, it poses a dilemma for feminists as well. Do the rewards of caring labor transcend monetary valuation, or is women’s work undervalued by the marketplace?
