The Social Construction of Care

The aim of this study is to present research on circumstances of care work and social construction of care itself, arguing that this subject has a lot to say about gender relations of the given society. It further aims to create a sensitive tool that is able to grasp the alternative attitudes and practices in society in understanding and practicing care. These might open to a new understanding of human relations of care redefining its place in the system of values so much centered in our times around material well-being and individual liberty. In the context of transition in the ex-Soviet bloc we could see that the study of changing gender relations after the transition includes mostly the measurement of inequalities, the comparison of economic activity, the evaluation of attitudes and values concerning gender roles, women’s representation in public life, media representations, cultural stereotypes and individual life stories. The field of care giving has less been in focus so far. Therefore, the research aimed to add a new aspect to the topics discussed earlier and at the same time, it aims to offer a reading of everyday experience of care materialized in the interviews that might open a path to more universalistic perspectives as well.