From National Economy to Care Economy. Gender-equal division of labour and its relevance for sustainable economic concepts

Abstract

ZusammenfassungAktuell vorherrschende Wirtschaftskonzepte basieren nach wie vor auf den Theorielinien der kapitalistisch ausgerichteten Nationalökonomie, die sämtliche, meist von Frauen erbrachte, nicht marktförmig organisierte Tätigkeiten als unproduktiv festschreiben. Nicht zuletzt durch den höheren Bildungsgrad von Frauen und eine Politik,die Frauen verstärkt auf den Erwerbsmarkt verweist, erbringen sie diese Güter und Dienstleistungen nicht mehr selbstverständlich. Die darauf basierende Forderung nach einem modernen Leitbild (dual earner / dual career model), welches die Verantwortungsübernahme von generativer Sorgearbeit institutionell und strukturell in den Lebensverläufen beider Geschlechter verankert, erweist sich als eine nachhaltigen Wirtschaftskonzepten inhärente Prämisse.AbstractCurrently prevailing economy concepts are founded on the theory of a capitalist national economy, which considers all non-market activities, generally carried out by women, to be non-productive. Because of the political focus on higher employment for women and due to the rising levels of education, it can no longer be taken for granted that women provide these goods and services without remuneration. The consequential demand for a modern approach (dual earner / dual career model), which assumes that the responsibility for such ‘care work’ should be rooted institutionally and structurally in the biographies of both genders, may prove to be the premise for more sustainable economic concepts.Currently prevailing economy concepts are funded on the theoretical baseline of a capitalistically developed national economy, which declare all activities and work beyond market as non-productive. However, politics focus on higher employment for women and due to level of education, women no longer provide these goods and services self-evident. The subsequent demand for a modern approach (dual earner/dual carer model) which is the assumption of responsibility from generative care work should be rooted institutionally and structurally in life histories of both sexes and could be the base of sustainable economic concepts