Alison Reiheld: To Care is Human

February 16, 2012, Alison Reiheld, assistant professor from SIUE’s College of Arts and Sciences Department of Philosophy, presented her lecture titled “To Care is Human: Just Caring For Caregivers Wherever They May Be.”

The presentation, part of the SIUE Women’s Studies Program lecture series, discussed the social difficulties faced by caregivers both domestically and abroad.

“Care giving is not just a women’s issue it’s a human issue,” explained Reiheld.

The lecture centered around how care giving roles have been marginalized as ‘women’s work,’ while it is in reality something that affects everyone in a society. This is in part because all individuals are at one point or another dependent on a caregiver within their lifetime, and also because of the social and economical benefits unpaid caregivers offer to society.

The lecture also pointed out the differences in challenges faced by caregivers in resource rich and resource poor societies, and how careful distribution of resources can help alleviate hardships faced by caregivers as well as the number of caregivers needed by a society.

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