A massive restructuring of health care in virtually all the wealthy nations of the West has offloaded services and costs from governmental responsibility into home care services and onto families -- a burden borne primarily by women. This restructuring has profoundly altered not only the practice of social work but also its representation in language and theory. As this volume demonstrates, many of the consequences social workers must face are made more difficult by the dominance of a market discourse that excludes a social justice framework.

The authors aim not to prescribe specific guidelines for practice but "to challenge current arrangements and explanations" in order to open the discourse and generate alternatives so that people receiving care might have fuller and more satisfying lives. Written by social work theorists and specialists from the U.S., Canada, and New Zealand, the chapters focus on topics of long-term care as they affect vulnerable groups -- women in particular -- as they age. Subjects include constructing community support, aging and caregiving in culturally diverse families, changing demographics of widowhood, and the new millennium's challenges for social work on aging and disability.

A massive restructuring of health care in virtually all the wealthy nations of the West has offloaded services and costs from governmental responsibility into home care services and onto families -- a burden borne primarily by women. This restructuring has profoundly altered not only the practice of social work but also its representation in language and theory. As this volume demonstrates, many of the consequences social workers must face are made more difficult by the dominance of a market discourse that excludes a social justice framework.

The authors aim not to prescribe specific guidelines for practice but "to challenge current arrangements and explanations" in order to open the discourse and generate alternatives so that people receiving care might have fuller and more satisfying lives. Written by social work theorists and specialists from the U.S., Canada, and New Zealand, the chapters focus on topics of long-term care as they affect vulnerable groups -- women in particular -- as they age. Subjects include constructing community support, aging and caregiving in culturally diverse families, changing demographics of widowhood, and the new millennium's challenges for social work on aging and disability.

Although women have long been members of the labour force, the proportion of domestic, caring, and community work they provide compared to men or the state has yet to decrease substantially. Beyond Caring Labour to Provisioning Work offers a powerful new framework for understanding women's work in a holistic sense, acknowledging both their responsibilities in supporting others as well as their employment duties. Beyond Caring Labour to Provisioning Work is based on a four-year, multi-site study of women who are members of contemporary community organizations. The authors reveal the complex ways in which these women define and value their own work, investigating what supports and constrains their individual and collective efforts. Calling on the state to assist more with citizens' provisioning responsibilities, Beyond Caring Labour to Provisioning Work provides an excellent basis for new discussions on equitable and sustainable public policies.

Although women have long been members of the labour force, the proportion of domestic, caring, and community work they provide compared to men or the state has yet to decrease substantially. Beyond Caring Labour to Provisioning Work offers a powerful new framework for understanding women's work in a holistic sense, acknowledging both their responsibilities in supporting others as well as their employment duties. Beyond Caring Labour to Provisioning Work is based on a four-year, multi-site study of women who are members of contemporary community organizations. The authors reveal the complex ways in which these women define and value their own work, investigating what supports and constrains their individual and collective efforts. Calling on the state to assist more with citizens' provisioning responsibilities, Beyond Caring Labour to Provisioning Work provides an excellent basis for new discussions on equitable and sustainable public policies.