care

When floods destroy infrastructure or heatwaves strain health systems, who absorbs the hidden costs? Why do women, already carrying most unpaid care work, become the de-facto first responders at the expense of their rights, health, and livelihoods? And what if care itself were recognised as climate infrastructure, as vital as roads or energy grids? This article examines how climate change magnifies care demands and deepens gender inequality, while also pointing to solutions from Pakistan’s floods to Bangladesh’s cyclone shelters that show how centering care can turn vulnerability into resilience.

Let’s delve into the complex relationship between feminist thought and the experience of motherhood, past and present, and reveal how care work and motherhood are often left out of the conversation. This article challenges both the romanticization and denial of motherhood, calling instead for a feminism that values ​​care, supports mothers, and confronts systemic inequalities. Through an intersectional lens, it asks us to rethink what freedom means when caregiving is at the center. Can a feminist future truly be inclusive if it leaves mothers behind?