Germany

 As a symbol of ‘Islamic’ oppression and backwardness for some and an emblem of dignity and devout faith for others, veiling has sparked discussions centered on religion. However, recent unveiling policies in several European countries have characterized veiling as far more than an expression of religious faith.

A commentary by Elisabeth Scharfenberg, spokeswoman of the Green parliamentary group for care and policies for senior citizens.

Women’s increasing integration into the labour market comes with a crisis of care systems and the development of a labour market for care work. Increasingly women migrate to richer countries to seek employment in the care sector, hoping their salary will improve the living conditions of their families. 

Finding an economic, social and bio-political balance between production and social reproduction, between private households and the market is a central task for the state.

The concept of the care economy refers to paid and unpaid work directly related to the everyday care of other people but also to the work involved in care provision.

New concepts such as that of the ‘care economy’ attempt to highlight this fact by pointing to the overlap between care and efficiency, use, process maximisation and productivity.

When we speak about economics or read about the subject in the newspapers, generally the focus is on the market, prices or competition. Yet the modern economy is far more than that. It has been a twin birth since the outset: the birth of non-identical, bisexual twins.