Love's Labor: Essays on Women, Equality, and Dependency (Thinking Gender) - Softcover

..."Kittay gives a moving account of her experience raising her profoundly retarded daughter, Sesha; this finely wrought material bears testimony to Kittay's ability to draw significant philosophical conclusions from observation of and reflection on daily life." -Mary Lyndon Shanley, "Hypatia ""Love's Labor is a marvelous book: a must-read for anyone interested in feminist moral and political philosophy." -Louise Collins, "National Women's Studies Association Journal "Kittay's "Love's Labor is an important contribution to the feminist aspiration of greaer equality and justice for women... It also contributes significantly to both the field of contemporary political theory and to present-day social policies." -S. Matthew Liao, "Philosophy in Review .."breathtakingly new to the world of ethics and social theory as to be groundbreaking and critically important." -"Tikkun ""Love's Labor combines rigorous analysis, informed political argument and passionate personal reflection. This is a magnificent book which might just transform the way we do political philosophy and lead our political lives." -Sara Ruddick, author of "Maternal Thinking: Toward a Politics of Peace

This fascinating study of women carers explores the significance of dependency work by analyzing John Rawls' influential liberal theory and two examples of public policy - welfare reform and family leave - to show how both theory and policy fail women when they miss the centrality of dependency to questions of justice. A vision of an equal society is required, one which recognizes that those who care for others require the support of the larger community.