Hierarchies of care work in South Africa: Nurses, social workers and home‐based care workers

Abstract

Abstract.This article examines care‐worker hierarchies in South Africa, notably since the HIV/AIDS pandemic and the structural changes it has brought. The nurses, social workers, home‐based care workers and volunteers are mostly women, of varying racial, socio‐economic, demographic and educational backgrounds; they work in the public, private, and not‐for‐profit sectors. Recent changes in care provision have brought improved earnings for some, but the “care penalty” remains, and task‐shifting because of the epidemic has been mostly downwards, increasing the burden on the lowest paid – or even unpaid – in the worst working conditions, thus increasing inequality between women.