Introduction to the themed section: Law, harm and depletion through social reproduction

Rai, Shirin M.; Goldblatt, Beth

Abstract

In this article, we outline an interdisciplinary exploration into the invisibilisation of social reproduction, most of which still continues to be done by women. In this introduction and themed section, we argue that the neglect of social reproduction has material costs for those responsible for it, which we theorise as ‘depletion through social reproduction’ (Rai et al, 2014) – and these costs are gendered. As a facet of governing processes, the law is important here. In this themed section, we examine the issue of law, harm and depletion through social reproduction to show how different strategies are already being used by individuals, households and communities to mitigate depletion and how this is being addressed (or not) at the policy and legal levels – local, national and international. To explore this issue, we have brought together sociologists, political economists and lawyers to develop insights that can be of value to political scientists and to the policy community.

Citation

Rai, S. M., & Goldblatt, B. (2020). Introduction to the themed section: Law, harm and depletion through social reproduction. European Journal of Politics and Gender, 3(2), 171-184. https://doi.org/10.1332/251510820X15855860254106

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jun 10, 2020
• Publication Date: Jun 1, 2020
• Deposit Date: Apr 5, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: Apr 5, 2023
• Journal: European Journal of Politics and Gender
• Print ISSN: 2515-1088
• Electronic ISSN: 2515-1096
• Publisher: Bristol University Press
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 3
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 171-184
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1332/251510820X15855860254106
• Keywords: social reproduction; depletion; harm; law; state; mitigation; replenishment; transformation
• Publisher URL: https://bristoluniversitypressdigital.com/view/journals/ejpg/3/2/ejpg.3.issue-2.xml