Stevano, Sara, Ali, Rosimina and Jamieson, Merle (2021) Essential Work: Using A Social Reproduction Lens to Investigate the Re-Organisation of Work During the COVID-19 Pandemic. London: SOAS Department of Economics Working Paper No. 241.
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Abstract
COVID-19 has shaken a foundational pillar of global capitalism: the organisation of work. Whilst workers have commonly been categorised based on skills, during the pandemic the ‘essential worker’ categorisation has taken prominence. This paper explores the concept of essential work from a global feminist social reproduction perspective. The global perspective is complemented by a zoom-in on Mozambique as a low-income country in the Global South, occupying a peripheral position in global and regional economies and with a large share of vulnerable and essential workers. We show that the meaning of essential work is more ambiguous and politicised than it may appear and, although it can be used as a basis to reclaim the value of socially reproductive work, its transformative potential hinges on the possibility to encompass the most precarious and transnational dimensions of (re)production
| Item Type: | Monographs and Working Papers (Working Paper) |
|---|---|
| Keywords: | COVID-19, essential work, social reproduction, dependence, Mozambique |
| SOAS Departments & Centres: | Departments and Subunits > Department of Economics |
| ISSN: | 17535816 |
| Copyright Statement: | © Copyright is held by the author(s) of each working paper |
| Date Deposited: | 13 May 2021 17:24 |
| URI: | https://eprints.soas.ac.uk/id/eprint/35135 |
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