In the shadow of neoliberalism, the concept of care has undergone a profound transformation—one that has subtly yet powerfully reconfigured our relationships, communities, and even our sense of self. What was once a fundamental pillar of human connection and social cohesion is now increasingly viewed as an obstacle—a distraction from personal advancement and economic productivity. This shift reflects a deeper realignment of values and priorities shaped by ideology, structure, and psychology.
The Neoliberal Reprogramming of Care: A Deep Structural Shift
Neoliberalism’s emphasis on market logic has not only altered our economic engagement but also infiltrated the fabric of our social and personal lives. In this framework, care—traditionally rooted in empathy, reciprocity, and mutual support—is redefined through the cold calculus of economic value. Political theorist Wendy Brown’s Undoing the Demos shows how neoliberalism turns us into “homo economicus,” recasting even deeply human acts of care as transactions measured by marketplace utility.
This is not a rhetorical shift; it represents a profound reprogramming of how we view ourselves and others. Neoliberalism disciplines us to prioritize economic efficiency, productivity, and competitiveness in both professional and personal relationships. The result is a distortion of care, where it is increasingly seen as a liability that detracts from our ability to compete and succeed.
Care as a Market Commodity: The Dehumanization of Human Connection
In neoliberal society, care is commodified—transformed into a service that can be bought, sold, and optimized. This process strips care of its relational depth, reducing it to a transaction devoid of genuine human connection. The commodification is intertwined with the myth of the self-made individual, a narrative that glorifies personal success while ignoring the indispensable role of care networks and communal support.
This creates a false dichotomy between care and success. The market-driven narrative suggests that time spent caring for others is time lost—an inefficiency that hinders personal and professional advancement. This perception undermines the social bonds that sustain communities and individuals alike.
Internalizing Market Values: The Subtle Discipline of Self-Optimization
The neoliberal restructuring of care extends deep into our psyches. Through Michel Foucault’s concept of governmentality, neoliberalism disciplines us to internalize market values, turning them into personal virtues. This fosters cognitive dissonance: the time, patience, and emotional energy required for care appear incompatible with relentless market demands. We begin to view ourselves as projects to be managed and optimized, often at the expense of our basic need for connection and support.
Internalization distorts our relationship with time. Neoliberalism imposes a temporal framework that prioritizes immediacy, growth, and constant productivity—values at odds with the slow, unpredictable nature of care work. Consequently, care is pushed to the margins, squeezed into the edges of a life dominated by market imperatives.
The Atomization of Society: Eroding the Commons and Undermining Solidarity
Neoliberalism’s impact on care extends beyond the individual; it erodes structures that enable collective care. By weakening social safety nets and dismantling collective institutions, neoliberalism fosters an atomized society where individuals navigate life’s challenges without communal support. The erosion of the commons—shared resources and spaces for care and mutual aid—undermines the bonds essential for resilience and solidarity.
As care becomes more privatized, opportunities for collective care diminish, further isolating individuals and reinforcing the narrative that care is a personal burden rather than a shared responsibility. This atomization weakens social cohesion and creates fertile ground for hyper-individualism, where community needs are subordinated to individual desires.
The Gendered Burden and the Medicalization of Care: Deepening Inequalities
Neoliberalism’s reconfiguration of care is deeply gendered, exacerbating inequalities and placing disproportionate burdens on women. The historical association of women with caregiving roles is intensified, framing care as a natural, unpaid extension of women’s labor rather than a shared societal responsibility. This dynamic perpetuates gender disparities and contributes to the medicalization of care, reducing complex social and emotional needs to individual health issues managed by professionals.
Medicalization strips care of relational depth, reducing it to commodified services that can be outsourced. It reflects a broader trend to pathologize and individualize issues that are, at their core, social and communal. By framing care as a medical problem rather than a social one, neoliberalism distances us from collective responsibility.
Radical Alternatives: Rethinking Care from the Ground Up
Despite neoliberalism’s challenges, emerging frameworks offer radical alternatives for rethinking and reorganizing care. Feminist economists like J.K. Gibson‑Graham advocate a diverse economy that values non-market forms of care, illuminating the invisible economic activities sustaining communities. Maria Puig de la Bellacasa extends care to include relationships with technology, nature, and non-human life, pushing for sustainable and ethical living. Joan Tronto’s “caring democracy” reimagines political life around an ethic of care, proposing governance rooted in shared vulnerabilities and interdependencies.
These frameworks challenge neoliberal commodification, envisioning a society where care is valued as a fundamental human practice, not a market commodity. They emphasize reorienting economic and social structures around care rather than efficiency and profit, advocating a more humane and just society.
Reclaiming Care: A Collective Responsibility, Not an Individual Burden
To counter neoliberal devaluation of care, we must resist internalized market values that prioritize efficiency over connection and community. This requires a shift in individual attitudes and a fundamental restructuring of societal priorities. Care must be reclaimed as a collective responsibility, a shared commitment that transcends market logic.
Reimagining care as central to our lives and communities rebuilds the social bonds eroded by neoliberalism, fostering a society where care is the foundation of human connection and resilience. This reclamation is not nostalgia for a pre-neoliberal past but a radical reimagining of what society could be—a society where care is recognized as collective strength, not personal liability.
Intersectionality and Inclusive Care: Broadening the Scope
Care is shaped by intersecting identities and experiences. While gender is significant, we must also consider how race, class, ability, and other identities intersect with neoliberal restructuring. An intersectional approach is essential to understand the full impact of neoliberalism on care and to develop strategies that address diverse needs and challenges.
This analysis broadens our understanding of care, highlighting how different forms of oppression compound burdens and revealing potential for solidarity across differences. Embracing intersectionality builds more inclusive and equitable systems that reflect human diversity.
Empathy, Community, and Real-World Praxis: Learning from the Ground
The critique of neoliberalism’s impact on care must be grounded in praxis. Across the globe, community-based care initiatives succeed where market-driven systems fail. Mutual aid networks, grassroots health cooperatives, and other collective care forms demonstrate that care can thrive outside neoliberal constraints. These examples are not exceptions—they are blueprints for reimagining care on a broader scale.
They reveal the potential for care to be re-centered as a collective practice rooted in empathy, solidarity, and mutual support. They counter the neoliberal narrative of care as a burden, showing that care is a source of resilience, creativity, and community.
Conclusion: A Call to Action for a Caring Society
The effort to reimagine care offers a transformative vision that challenges commodification and privatization under neoliberalism. By embracing new ways of valuing and practicing care, we can create more just, sustainable, and humane communities. In such a society, care is not a liability but a vital source of resilience and connection, essential for individual fulfillment and collective well‑being.
If we are to realize this vision, we must actively engage in collective care initiatives, support policies that foster community resilience, and challenge neoliberal norms that devalue care. We need to rethink societal structures, economic systems, and personal priorities, making care central to both public and private life. This is not just policy change—it’s a cultural shift that redefines success, resilience, and fulfillment in ways that honor our shared humanity.
Only by reclaiming care as a fundamental human value and collective responsibility can we heal society’s deep fractures, creating a future where care is the cornerstone of a just, equitable, and thriving community.