Geographies of carework in contemporary England: the domestic lives of LGBT couples
by Laurence Georgin
Traditionally, unwaged carework has been thought of as a female activity that belongs within the spaces of the family home. Social research into unwaged carework has tended to focus on gendered divisions of labour within heterosexual couples. This project considers unwaged carework in contemporary England, with a focus on the experiences of cohabiting LGBT couples. As such, it challenges the heteronormativity (or the unacknowledged assumption that heterosexuality is the natural and normal form of sexuality) prevalent in much of the existing geographical literature on carework.
The project explores how LGBT couples divide unwaged carework (including physical, emotional and organizational domestic tasks); and how they understand and experience this work. This involves a consideration of how the divisions of carework are spatially manifested. In particular, the project seeks to uncover the role of sexuality and gender in couples’ understandings, experiences and divisions of carework.
Contact for more information
Name: Carla Barrett
E-mail: carla.barrett@mencap.org.uk
Categories: Geography. Tags: Carework, Gender, Home, LGBT and Queer geography.