Informal Care Work From a Queer Lens: Challenging Heteronormative Paradigms

Abstract

This paper emphasizes the importance of incorporating queer perspectives and practices into the general academic discourse on the organization of informal care. We refer to queer informal care work as (1) unpaid care arrangements and support systems that are (2) provided by individuals who position themselves in queer contexts and that are (3) tailored to the specific needs and experiences of queer individuals, whose condition or wellbeing would deteriorate or not improve without the assistance of others. Such care modalities may differ from traditional informal care models in various ways, particularly as they are not anchored around heterosexual nuclear families in the domestic sphere. Furthermore, specific informal care needs uniquely arise for queer identities given the challenges related to rejections from families of origin, systemic discrimination, or violence. Thus far, a substantial amount of informal care work carried out by and for queer persons remains largely invisible to society. Consequently, the aim of this article is to provide a critical literature review of concepts of informal care work in queer contexts and to propose methodological research avenues aimed at queering contemporary care discourses.