The 2007-2008 global financial crisis and subsequent austerity policies have put the realization of women’s economic and social rights in jeopardy. The resulting job losses, decreased social services and increased economic insecurity have weakened the capacity of people to perform the unpaid care work that is so critical for human well-being and social development.

While most policy responses have focused on bailing out the financial sector and, to a lesser extent, dealing with its implications for economic output and jobs, far less attention has been given to its impact on people’s ability to care for themselves, their families and communities.

This paper suggests that these three spheres—finance, production and unpaid care—are in fact interconnected and overlapping, and undertakes a feminist analysis to draw attention to their interconnections and to make visible what is often left out of mainstream accounts.