Week 6: pre-reading; commoning care

Question 1

What are the five things degrowth is not?
(according to Corinna Dengler & Miriam Lang)

Answer 1

1: Not a purely economic concept (also advocates for societal transformation (social + ecological sustainability).
2: Not negative growth or a recession (Proposes a planned restructuring of growth-dependent systems.)
3: Not a one-size-fits-all solution (Targets resource-intensive economies in the Global North.)
4: Not joyless renunciation (Emphasizes well-being through time sovereignty and relationships).
5: Not individualistic fixes (Focuses on systemic changes in politics, ecology, and economics)

Question 2

What are common criticisms of degrowth theory regarding gender?

Answer 2

1: Gender issues are secondary
Ecological concerns dominate discussions.
2: Risk of reinforcing unpaid care work
Burden may fall disproportionately on women.

Question 3

According to feminist economics, what are the key characteristics of unpaid work care work ?

Answer 3

• is mostly performed by women.
• unpaid care work supports society without adequate recognition.

Question 4

What are the goals of feminist economics?

Answer 4

• Make care work visible and fairly valued.
• Challenge gender norms in economic systems.

Question 5

What are the four V’s in organizing care from a degrowth perspective?

Answer 5

1: Avoiding (Vermeiden):
Reduce unnecessary care work (e.g., skip ironing). (not always possible)
2: Modifying (Verändern):
Use technology to simplify tasks (e.g., washing machines).
3: Shifting (Verlagern):
Move care work into paid work (market/state sectors).
4: Redistributing (Verteilen):
Share care responsibilities equitably across genders and groups.

Question 6

What is the difference between transformative and affirmative demands?

Answer 6

Transformative Demands:
Challenge systemic boundaries (e.g., productive vs. reproductive economies).
Example: Wages for housework campaign aimed at disrupting GDP norms (also made invisible housework visible)

Affirmative Demands:
Seek inclusion in existing systems.
Example: Monetizing unpaid care work to include in GDP.

Question 7

What does “valorized but not valued” mean?

Answer 7

Paid care work is recognized monetarily but undervalued socially.

Care jobs often:
Have poor wages.
Lack societal prestige despite being essential.

Question 8

What are three challenges of shifting care work to the state sector?

Answer 8

1: neoliberal influence:
Market logic can reduce care quality.
2: Historical Inequalities:
Welfare states built on colonial exploitation and resource extraction.
3: Ecological Unsustainability:
State-driven mass consumption exceeds planetary limits, so it doesn’t change anything about the current system

Question 9

What is incremental and emancipatory decommodification of care?

Answer 9

Incremental: Gradual changes to avoid overburdening public systems.
**Emancipatory: **Proposes collective care beyond monetized or family-only systems.
Role of GDP:
Challenges its dominance by focusing on life-sustaining contributions.

Question 10

What are the three types of caring commons?

Answer 10

Affirmative:
Voluntary initiatives for community care (e.g., neighborhood helpers).
Communitarian:
Traditional collective care practices (e.g., Indigenous caregiving).
Transformative:
Radical systems challenging capitalism (e.g., solidarity clinics).

Question 11

What is the conclusion of the feminist degrowth perspective?

Answer 11

prioritizes:
- Collective care arrangements.
- Redefining societal systems to value care beyond monetary contributions.

Advocates systemic change in:
- Knowledge foundations.
- Production methods.
- Institutions and norms.

Question 12

lecure

What does feminist economics critique from mainstream economics ?

Answer 12

• GDP for not including non-market activities
• Humans not seen as part of nature, but rather above it.

Question 13

Lecture

What are the key topics in feminist economics ?

Answer 13

• Gender roles in labour markets and households and society
• Influence of power, emotions, and traditions in economic behavior

Question 14

What are the methodologies typically used by feminist econommics ?

Answer 14

• Mixed methods > rejecting purely mathematical models
• Emphasizes positionality and the social construction of knowledge

Question 15

Why is care work importent, even from a GDP persepctive?

Answer 15

1: Subsidises GDP by enabling market participants to work

Question 16

What are the challenges of care work?

Answer 16

• Limits mobility and access to paid work.
• Gender-specific roles increase inequities in household labor.
• Women’s contributions are undervalued within families and society.

Question 17

What challenges arise from migration in rural settings?

Answer 17

Impact on Well-Being:
although Increased income through remittances.
Lower subjective well-being for women due to isolation, restricted autonomy and constrained roles.

Question 18

What does the degrowth care framework reject?

Answer 18

1: Technological Fixes:
Dehumanizing and unaffordable solutions.

2:Market-Based Care Systems:
Monetized care perpetuates GDP-driven narratives and underpays low-income workers.

3: State-Driven Systems:
Often limited by neoliberal funding models and inefficiency.

Question 19

How is land ownership and decision-making gendered in Malwi ?

Answer 19

Land Ownership:
In Malawi, land passes through women, and men move to women’s villages upon marriage.

Decision-Making Power:
Men dominate decisions on market-related activities.
Women manage decisions related to subsistence farming and household activities.

Question 20

How do gender dynamics affect climate resilience in farming?

Answer 20

Cash Crops vs. Nutrition:

Men prioritize cash crops (e.g., soy) for market value.
Women focus on diverse crops to ensure family nutrition.
Environmental Practices:

Tree planting and other eco-friendly efforts often increase women’s workload.
These practices are less appealing to men as they lack immediate financial returns.