D5.3 ‘One of the family’ revisited. Towards feminist ethics of care reading of paid care work

Family and unpaid and paid care work overlap and intertwine in many ways. In paid care work, whether home-based or in institutional settings, the family frame is common to describe the relationships between workers and care receivers. This recurring pattern was originally identified in studies of migrant and domestic workers; recently more studies look at the family frame in institutional care and concerning non-migrant workers as well. Initially, applying the family frame was analyzed in the literature as potentially exploitative on several levels. Since then, studies have emerged that showed a more complex picture. The family frame is not only exploitative, and its significance goes beyond the domestic ambiance of care. This paper combines findings from research on home-based care as well as institutional care in Europe (Italy, 2004, Poland, 2007-2015, Poland and the UK, 2014- 2018) and the United States (2018-2020), including studies focusing on both migrant and non-migrant workers. It offers a classification of the family frame types. I suggest that the workers’ rights perspective and the family frame can be reconciled within the ethics of care framework by drawing inspiration from domestic workers themselves and from care workers’ movements that seem to combine these two visions.