The research project Caring to survive, surviving to care highlights the daily survival strategies and practices that Ukrainians have implemented to adapt to the various forms of violence they have faced since 2014.
The project pays particular attention to practices of social reproduction – the often invisible or invisible and unpaid or low-paid work necessary to sustain the lives of individuals, families, and communities.
Project leader Professor Elisabeth Prügl spoke to Agnieszka Fal Dutra Santos about the initial findings of the study.
“It is already clear from our research that the amount of unpaid labour performed increases exponentially during war, as everyday support systems collapse,” says Elisabeth Prügl.
According to her, the displacement of people has seriously disrupted the family and neighborhood networks that previously provided care for children and the elderly. And the bombings have destroyed schools and forced children to study online, keeping them at home and in need of supervision. At the same time, the war has led to remarkable acts of solidarity and volunteerism.
“But there are signs of significant exhaustion as the violence continues,” the researcher notes.
Another finding of the study, she says, is policy-related.
“We have found some attention being paid in the Ukrainian recovery plan to the “social economy”, which is positive. But the overwhelming emphasis in how the social economy is talked about is on attracting private investments – often from abroad – and finding ways to commodify health care, education, and elder care in order to finance them,” says Elisabeth Prügl.
She stresses that, given the problematic experiences of other countries with the privatization of social security infrastructure, this trend is worrying.
The project Caring to survive, surviving to care is carried out by CSLR with the support of SNF & SDC. Read the full text of the interview at the link.