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Labours of Love: The Crisis of Care
An authoritative and deeply reflective investigation into the crisis of care in the UK, with a clarion call for change, from the award-winning author and journalist.
'[Labours of Love] should be compulsory reading for every MP, every manager in the NHS and the care "industry"... Informative, moving and essential' - Philippa Perry
We're facing a crisis in care likely to affect every one of us over the course of our lives. Care-work is underpaid; its values disregarded. Britain's society lauds economic growth, productivity and profit over compassion, kindness and empathy. For centuries the caring labours of women have been taken for granted, but with more women now in work, with increasing numbers of elderly and with austerity dismantling the welfare state, care is under pressure as never before.
Over five years, Madeleine Bunting travelled the country, speaking to charity workers, doctors, social workers, in-home carers, nurses, palliative care teams and parents, to explore the value of care, the hidden glue that binds us together. She finds remarkable stories, in GP surgeries, in work undertaken by parents for their disabled children and in end-of-life teams, that conjure a different way of imagining our society and the connections between us. Blending these revelatory testimonies with a history and language of care, and with Bunting's own experiences of caring for the young and old in her family, Labours of Love is a hugely important portrait of our nation today - and of how it might be - which raises a clarion call for change.
'[Labours of Love] should be compulsory reading for every MP, every manager in the NHS and the care "industry"... Informative, moving and essential' - Philippa Perry
We're facing a crisis in care likely to affect every one of us over the course of our lives. Care-work is underpaid; its values disregarded. Britain's society lauds economic growth, productivity and profit over compassion, kindness and empathy. For centuries the caring labours of women have been taken for granted, but with more women now in work, with increasing numbers of elderly and with austerity dismantling the welfare state, care is under pressure as never before.
Over five years, Madeleine Bunting travelled the country, speaking to charity workers, doctors, social workers, in-home carers, nurses, palliative care teams and parents, to explore the value of care, the hidden glue that binds us together. She finds remarkable stories, in GP surgeries, in work undertaken by parents for their disabled children and in end-of-life teams, that conjure a different way of imagining our society and the connections between us. Blending these revelatory testimonies with a history and language of care, and with Bunting's own experiences of caring for the young and old in her family, Labours of Love is a hugely important portrait of our nation today - and of how it might be - which raises a clarion call for change.
320 pages, Hardcover
Published October 1, 2020
29 people are currently reading
581 people want to read
About the author
Madeleine Bunting
14 books29 followersMadeleine was born in North Yorkshire, one of five children of artist parents. She studied history at Corpus Christi, Cambridge and Harvard, US. She held a number positions at the Guardian including reporter, leader writer, religious affairs editor, and for twelve years, she was a columnist. She wrote about a wide range of subjects including Islam, faith, global development, politics and social change.
She directed the Guardian’s first ever festival, Open Weekend, in 2012.
From 2012-14, she led a team as Editorial Director of Strategy, working on a project around reimagining the institution of a newspaper and its relationship with readers.
She has a longstanding interest in contemplative practices and in 2013 she co-founded The Mindfulness Initiative to explore the potential of mindfulness in public policy particularly health and education. The Initiative supported the All Party Parliamentary Group in their 10 month inquiry which led to a report Mindful Nation UK, published in October 2015.
She lives in East London with her family.
She has received a number of awards and prizes including an honorary fellowship from Cardiff University in 2013, the Portico Prize for The Plot in 2010, a Lambeth MA degree in 2006, The Race in the Media award in 2005 and the Imam wa Amal Special Award in 2002. She has won several One World Media awards for her journalism on global justice.
She directed the Guardian’s first ever festival, Open Weekend, in 2012.
From 2012-14, she led a team as Editorial Director of Strategy, working on a project around reimagining the institution of a newspaper and its relationship with readers.
She has a longstanding interest in contemplative practices and in 2013 she co-founded The Mindfulness Initiative to explore the potential of mindfulness in public policy particularly health and education. The Initiative supported the All Party Parliamentary Group in their 10 month inquiry which led to a report Mindful Nation UK, published in October 2015.
She lives in East London with her family.
She has received a number of awards and prizes including an honorary fellowship from Cardiff University in 2013, the Portico Prize for The Plot in 2010, a Lambeth MA degree in 2006, The Race in the Media award in 2005 and the Imam wa Amal Special Award in 2002. She has won several One World Media awards for her journalism on global justice.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
October 16, 2020
Essential reading for every person in the country
Every single person in the country should read this book, to understand some of the experiences of people who work in the health and social care sector, why they do it, and the huge value of the work that they do. We need to start building value, and this begins by the language we use to describe health and social care jobs. I am guilty myself of downplaying my role as a nurse, when I hold a position of great education and responsibility and I work hard to provide good care for every one I come into contact with. Let’s do more, we need to support this sector or there will be nothing left for us and our children!
Every single person in the country should read this book, to understand some of the experiences of people who work in the health and social care sector, why they do it, and the huge value of the work that they do. We need to start building value, and this begins by the language we use to describe health and social care jobs. I am guilty myself of downplaying my role as a nurse, when I hold a position of great education and responsibility and I work hard to provide good care for every one I come into contact with. Let’s do more, we need to support this sector or there will be nothing left for us and our children!
November 20, 2020
With a background in history, journalism and politics, the author is well placed to comment on current events. Labours of Love arose from five years of travel to healthcare settings across the UK: care homes for the elderly and disabled, hospitals, local doctors’ surgeries, and palliative care units. Forget the Thursday-night clapping and rainbows in the windows: the NHS is perennially underfunded and its staff undervalued, by conservative governments as well as by people who rely on it.
We first experience bodily care as infants, Bunting notes, and many of the questions that run through her book originated in her early days of motherhood. Despite all the advances of feminism, parental duties follow the female-dominated pattern evident in the caring careers:
These are things we know intuitively, but seeing the numbers laid out so plainly is shocking. I most valued the general information in Bunting’s introduction and in between her interviews, while I found that the bulk of the book alternated between dry statistics and page after page of interview transcripts. However, I did love hearing more from Marion Coutts, the author of the 2015 Wellcome Book Prize winner, The Iceberg, about her husband’s death from brain cancer. (Labours of Love was longlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction 2020.)
Some favorite lines:
“Good care is as much an art as a skill, as much competence as tact. … Care is where we make profound collective decisions about the worth of an individual life. … There is no tradition of ageing wisely in the West, unlike in many Asian and African cultures where age has prestige, status and is associated with wisdom … We need to speak about care in a different language, instead of the relentless macho repetition of words such as ‘efficiency’, ‘quality’, ‘driving’, ‘choice’, ‘delivery’ and productivity.’”
Originally published on my blog, Bookish Beck.
We first experience bodily care as infants, Bunting notes, and many of the questions that run through her book originated in her early days of motherhood. Despite all the advances of feminism, parental duties follow the female-dominated pattern evident in the caring careers:
By the age of fifty-nine, women will have a fifty-fifty chance of being, or having been, a carer for a sick or elderly person. At the same time, many are still raising their teenage children and almost half of those over fifty-five are providing regular care for grandchildren.
Women dominate caring professions such as nursing (89 per cent), social work (75 per cent) and childcare (98 per cent). They now form the majority of GPs (54 per cent) and three out of four teachers are female. And they provide the vast bulk of the army of healthcare workers in the NHS (80 per cent) and social-care workers (82 per cent) for the long-term sick, disabled and frail elderly.
These are things we know intuitively, but seeing the numbers laid out so plainly is shocking. I most valued the general information in Bunting’s introduction and in between her interviews, while I found that the bulk of the book alternated between dry statistics and page after page of interview transcripts. However, I did love hearing more from Marion Coutts, the author of the 2015 Wellcome Book Prize winner, The Iceberg, about her husband’s death from brain cancer. (Labours of Love was longlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction 2020.)
Some favorite lines:
“Good care is as much an art as a skill, as much competence as tact. … Care is where we make profound collective decisions about the worth of an individual life. … There is no tradition of ageing wisely in the West, unlike in many Asian and African cultures where age has prestige, status and is associated with wisdom … We need to speak about care in a different language, instead of the relentless macho repetition of words such as ‘efficiency’, ‘quality’, ‘driving’, ‘choice’, ‘delivery’ and productivity.’”
Originally published on my blog, Bookish Beck.
December 26, 2021
Covering several different types and stages of care, Madeleine Bunting takes a deep dive into the important but unspoken world of care.
This book made me feel alternately happy and sad - the idea of 'care' is bandied about so lightly as if it is easy to do, but Bunting makes clear that it is absolutely a skilled and technical job - just one that is undervalued and easy to misunderstand.
There are so many lovely people in the world who can't help but to care, who value other people. I was happy to be able to take a small look into their lives. I would have enjoyed more anecdotes or deep-dives into the lives of the different people the author spoke to in the course of her research. Bunting writes chapters as essays supported by her interviews. I would have preferred to read chapters as narratives supported by her essays: she clearly spoke to and heard from a lot of interesting people and I would have liked to have heard more about them.
This book made me feel alternately happy and sad - the idea of 'care' is bandied about so lightly as if it is easy to do, but Bunting makes clear that it is absolutely a skilled and technical job - just one that is undervalued and easy to misunderstand.
There are so many lovely people in the world who can't help but to care, who value other people. I was happy to be able to take a small look into their lives. I would have enjoyed more anecdotes or deep-dives into the lives of the different people the author spoke to in the course of her research. Bunting writes chapters as essays supported by her interviews. I would have preferred to read chapters as narratives supported by her essays: she clearly spoke to and heard from a lot of interesting people and I would have liked to have heard more about them.
November 2, 2020
This is a wonderful book.
It is an unusual combination of memoir, investigative journalism, philosophy and a little literary criticism but a deeply wise and satisfying synthesis.
The author looks at the devaluing of care from cradle to grave, especially the way that is both gendered and discriminatory in other ways around disability and a workforce that’s badly paid, poorly respect3d and disproportionately drawn from BAME communities.
I would have preferred a little more exploration on the crisis in care for older people which to me as the most acute aspect of the overall catastrophe. But I do see part of Bunting’s point is that it is all of a piece. I am not sure I found her prescriptions as good as her diagnosis but would still highly recommend an excellent book.
It is an unusual combination of memoir, investigative journalism, philosophy and a little literary criticism but a deeply wise and satisfying synthesis.
The author looks at the devaluing of care from cradle to grave, especially the way that is both gendered and discriminatory in other ways around disability and a workforce that’s badly paid, poorly respect3d and disproportionately drawn from BAME communities.
I would have preferred a little more exploration on the crisis in care for older people which to me as the most acute aspect of the overall catastrophe. But I do see part of Bunting’s point is that it is all of a piece. I am not sure I found her prescriptions as good as her diagnosis but would still highly recommend an excellent book.
December 29, 2020
"Care is a set of activities which, like music, poetry and art, makes us human: it reflects our capacity for tenderness and generosity, to reach beyond our own self-interest to serve the flourishing of another."
This book resonates powerfully in 2020. Bunting collates compelling stories from across the care sector to celebrate the tenacity, sacrifice and achievements of its employees, to critique the unsustainable system they work in and to offer an elegiac analysis of what it means to care and be cared for in modern England.
This book resonates powerfully in 2020. Bunting collates compelling stories from across the care sector to celebrate the tenacity, sacrifice and achievements of its employees, to critique the unsustainable system they work in and to offer an elegiac analysis of what it means to care and be cared for in modern England.
January 11, 2021
Well written but more importantly, it made me think about things that I’ve never thought about before.
December 26, 2022
This book gives you an insight into just how grim the situation is on the frontline of caring roles in the UK - although reading it I suspected that no matter how bad I think it is, the reality is probably worse. The fact that books like this are relatively under-exposed relative to obvious comparators (see the huge numbers of books by surgeons, therapists etc) tells its own story in that respect.
Really bleakly, I thought that where the book was weakest was on what could be done about it. Part of the solution probably is in rejecting the idea that tech will revolutionise caring roles (does anyone really think that…?) But that feels a lot like low-hanging fruit, compared with what the author identifies is a much bigger problem of just how difficult it is to be an effective carer to anyone who isn’t a close and loved family member. Even spousal care is deeply imperfect, so the odds of recruiting a really excellent workforce of carers in the numbers required, even after assuming a more liberal migration policy and better pay, feel very long indeed.
Really bleakly, I thought that where the book was weakest was on what could be done about it. Part of the solution probably is in rejecting the idea that tech will revolutionise caring roles (does anyone really think that…?) But that feels a lot like low-hanging fruit, compared with what the author identifies is a much bigger problem of just how difficult it is to be an effective carer to anyone who isn’t a close and loved family member. Even spousal care is deeply imperfect, so the odds of recruiting a really excellent workforce of carers in the numbers required, even after assuming a more liberal migration policy and better pay, feel very long indeed.
April 21, 2024
The best book I’ve read on the care crisis as of yet
December 10, 2020
We are entering into a critical period of our country's history. As we address issues of the pandemic, Brexit and associated policies on migration and changing demographics that see our population ageing we also face stark choices about how we care for the most vulnerable among us. What kind of nation do we want to be? What do we value most? Of course, we need to be economically sustainable but haven't we learned about the value of love, companionship, family and community over the last year?
We clapped for carers - but do we really appreciate and honour them? Do we believe as a country that we are both respecting and paying properly for the humane, often intimate, care that they give every day. Often working alone and supporting people at their most vulnerable (including at the end of their lives) all those involved in care in social care are not just crucial to everyday life but symbolise the kind of nation we want to be.
Madeleine Bunting's timely book explores these and many other questions. She examines the cultural, political, economic and social backdrop to our approach to care and challenges us to think about possible futures.
What is inescapable is that we do not value and reward people who work in care enough. Without them we can not thrive as individuals and as a nation, we risk having to give up work when those who depend on us cannot find the care they need and our NHS and national prosperity, underpinned by social care, will not survive.
Social care is rewarding, it is fun, it has wonderful career opportunities for those who love the work. It is humane, built on relationships and respect and brings dignity at times of need. At some point in our lives either we or those we love will need it. Can we really say that we understand this work, that we afford it respect and value? As so many aspects of our lives become automated, love and care is one that will continue to need humanity to deliver it and all those who work in it deserve our support.
As a nation, we stand at a point of decision as we look to the future. I hope we make the right one. Madeleine's book is a thoughtful contribution to that national debate
We clapped for carers - but do we really appreciate and honour them? Do we believe as a country that we are both respecting and paying properly for the humane, often intimate, care that they give every day. Often working alone and supporting people at their most vulnerable (including at the end of their lives) all those involved in care in social care are not just crucial to everyday life but symbolise the kind of nation we want to be.
Madeleine Bunting's timely book explores these and many other questions. She examines the cultural, political, economic and social backdrop to our approach to care and challenges us to think about possible futures.
What is inescapable is that we do not value and reward people who work in care enough. Without them we can not thrive as individuals and as a nation, we risk having to give up work when those who depend on us cannot find the care they need and our NHS and national prosperity, underpinned by social care, will not survive.
Social care is rewarding, it is fun, it has wonderful career opportunities for those who love the work. It is humane, built on relationships and respect and brings dignity at times of need. At some point in our lives either we or those we love will need it. Can we really say that we understand this work, that we afford it respect and value? As so many aspects of our lives become automated, love and care is one that will continue to need humanity to deliver it and all those who work in it deserve our support.
As a nation, we stand at a point of decision as we look to the future. I hope we make the right one. Madeleine's book is a thoughtful contribution to that national debate
June 5, 2021
Part policy exploration, part history, part memoir, and part anthropological study, this is a detailed and deeply worrying take on the state of modern British healthcare – the most loved and trusted part of the British State that has been under constant attack for decades. Why is that? – why would politicians seeking the approval of voters nevertheless fail to support and recognise the one thing that all voters admire? And do so with such fake affectations of care?
The notion of "care" itself, both as a noun and as a verb. comes under scrutiny. It's a word that's replaced a rich vocabulary of terms, bring aspects of medical and social services that were all previously regarded as separate under a single rubric. And perhaps that's the root of the problem. By destroying the subtlety in search of management and measurement, it becomes easier to neglect the essence of what's being provided and turn social care (and mental health care in particular) into "Cinderella services" adrift from public attention.
The notion of "care" itself, both as a noun and as a verb. comes under scrutiny. It's a word that's replaced a rich vocabulary of terms, bring aspects of medical and social services that were all previously regarded as separate under a single rubric. And perhaps that's the root of the problem. By destroying the subtlety in search of management and measurement, it becomes easier to neglect the essence of what's being provided and turn social care (and mental health care in particular) into "Cinderella services" adrift from public attention.
January 18, 2021
This is a remarkable book. At times I had to put it down to wipe away tears, at times as I was angry and again reflective and thoughtful. The final chapter maps some of the technological innovations that can impact on care which are incredible. However, at the heart of the book is the care that is central to what makes us human and the best of us as humans. We need to challenge and fight for a better society that prioritises care and everything that it involves to making a much better and caring society
December 1, 2024
This book made my cry, made me feel, made me think. I can’t ask more from a book than that. It made me think about things about my life (and death) that I have never thought about and it made me feel things that I didn’t think were possible and more importantly it paints a picture of a crumbling system and the millions of lives that depend on it.
December 13, 2020
A stimulating read for anyone interested in the future of health and social care in the UK. As we seek to rebuild society post-pandemic, this book suggests a possible future where investment in care is an economic, as well as a moral, imperative.
December 21, 2020
Found it quite hard going and gave up half way through. Well researched.
June 26, 2021
Going for five stars with this one. The book should be mandatory reading for anyone in government or the wider public sector.
March 14, 2024
The writing was sometimes a bit rambling for me (although that is likely just because of the amount of research that has gone into it), but in terms of achieving it's aims - showing the true value of care in all its different guises and in all its complexity - it really delivered. It's quite a sad book to read, and doesn't make me feel optimistic due to the sheer scale of the problems facing care, but is still a very good book nonetheless.
July 18, 2024
A thorough and shocking review of care work in the UK. It’s made me think a lot more about care roles / the system that provides care, the author had a lot of interesting views on how this can be improved. Recommend for anyone who has an interest in care work / public policy.
December 30, 2024
Radically honest. A mix of the raw emotional truth inherent in care and a collection of data and expert opinion to back it up. A must read for anyone who has yet to experience working in a caring role
February 24, 2024
Wonderful! The whole country could benefit from reading this book, especially the chapter on general practice.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews