Social Policy And the Ethic of Care

The feminist ethic of care has received much attention in scholarly circles recently. An ethic of care is concerned most of all with contextualizing the human condition, being responsive to people's individual differences through a particular form of engagement, and taking into account the consequences of decisions in terms of relieving burdens, hurt, or suffering. Although the theory continues to develop, less attention has been paid to its practical implications. To date, the relationship between care ethics and public policy in the Canadian context has not been investigated. In "Social Policy and the Ethic of Care", Hankivsky considers the implications of this ethic for a range of Canadian social policy issues. Through a series of case studies, she demonstrates the extent to which a care orientation differs from a justice orientation, and provides an alternative normative framework for interpreting, understanding, and evaluating social policy. "Social Policy and the Ethic of Care" bridges the gap between theoretical and public policy analysis in revealing why Canadian social policy is lacking and how it could be made more effective by including an ethic of care. This interdisciplinary text is essential reading for scholars and students of gender or feminist studies, philosophy, political theory, and social policy.