Essential Work: Using A Social Reproduction Lens to Investigate the Re-Organisation of Work During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Sara Stevano, Rosimina Ali and Merle Jamieson
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Sara Stevano: Department of Economics, SOAS University of London
Rosimina Ali: Institute of Social and Economic Studies (IESE)
Merle Jamieson: Department of Economics, SOAS University of London

No 241, Working Papers from Department of Economics, SOAS University of London, UK

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.

Keywords: COVID-19; essential work; social reproduction; dependence; Mozambique (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: B54 F66 J46 J60 K31 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 39
Date: 2021-04
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-hme and nep-lab
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