A contested home

Care and autonomy in times of crisis

Abstract

This article explores the question of the relationship between care and privacy. For this, the article engages with Beate Rössler's theory of privacy and Joan Tronto's theory of care. The visibility of work in the private sphere enables reflection on the consequences of the Covid-pandemic. Thereby, it becomes clear that non-institutionalized childcare, which had been forced into the domestic sphere, increasingly caused stress and alienation especially for women. The problem of corporeality and space within home shows that the socio-material boundaries and the practices of doing home play an important role in care work and therefore must be taken conceptually seriously.