The corporatisation and financialisation of social reproduction: care homes and childcare in the UK

Article


Farrier, S., Horton, A. and Lloyd, E. 2024. The corporatisation and financialisation of social reproduction: care homes and childcare in the UK. Environment and Planning F. In Press. https://doi.org/10.1177/26349825241241311
AuthorsFarrier, S., Horton, A. and Lloyd, E.
Abstract

The ownership and financial strategies of companies providing care for children or older people have become an increasingly salient concern, in both research and policy, because of their implications for the quality and availability of care services, as well as working conditions. However, analysis has tended to be sector specific. This article provides the first comparison of ownership, business models and workforces across childcare and adult social care in the UK. It reveals growing convergence in terms of the dominance of large companies and their financial strategies, which can reward investors while undermining access to care and worsening working conditions for large, low-paid workforces. We conceptualise these developments in terms of corporatisation and the related process of financialisation. They are, we argue, underpinned by the political economy of low wages for care work, which we explain using feminist social reproduction theory – highlighting the devaluation of feminised and racialised caring labour. The article identifies the need for further research to account for differences between the sectors, to map the geographies and political economies of care, and to compare these processes internationally.

JournalEnvironment and Planning F
Journal citationIn Press
ISSN2634-9825
Year2024
PublisherSAGE Publications
Accepted author manuscript
License
File Access Level
Repository staff only
Publisher's version
License
File Access Level
Anyone
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1177/26349825241241311
Publication dates
Online16 Apr 2024
Publication process dates
Accepted07 Feb 2024
Deposited29 Feb 2024
Copyright holder© 2024, The Authors
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https://repository.uel.ac.uk/item/8x5z3

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