Politics of Care: Gendered Citizenship and Reproductive Labour in Neoliberal India

Abstract

 The politics of care framework is among the most important theoretical tools in analysing the dynamics of gendered inequalities prevailing in modern-day India. In the context of the neoliberal period, reproductive labour, domestic care, emotional labour, and non-compensated household labour have gained significance in sustaining the operation of the capitalist economy, but at the same time have become invisible socially and undervalued economically. Women’s labour in the households and communities has continued to contribute to capitalism and development in urban areas in the form of migration and growth of cities, while lacking proper acknowledgement through policies of citizenship or state apparatuses. This research paper will analyse the connection between gendered citizenship and reproductive labour in the context of neoliberal India through an exploration of how women’s unpaid and low-paid care labour influences social reproduction, economic survival, and political agency of women. The study will analyse the role of class, caste, patriarchy, and neoliberal governance in restructuring care labour and its implications for women's lives.