Novara FM: We Were Promised Robot Butlers w/ Helen Hester & Nick Srnicek
Jul 20, 2023
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Helen Hester and Nick Srnicek discuss the challenges of automating care work, the changing dynamics of domestic work between genders, the privatization of social reproduction in the neoliberal era, the history of collective laundries, the concept of a post-work society, the redistribution of necessary labor, and the steps towards a post-work world.
Despite advances in technology, domestic work has not significantly decreased, raising the question of how to reshape domestic labor in the face of technological advancements and the expanding care sector.
Automation and technology have not effectively reduced the workload in care work, as standards and expectations have increased, technology has shifted the work to individuals, creating expert amateurs without training and support, and the gig economy has formalized some care work but without fair pay and worker power.
Efforts to address the challenges in care work include proposing long-term care centers as a middle ground between home and hospital, advocating for public luxury that focuses on high-quality collective goods, and redistributing necessary labor through 24/7 universal childcare and labor organizing for better conditions and representation.
Deep dives
The Future of Domestic Labour
As technology advances, there is a growing interest in futures beyond work, but care work remains overlooked. The book 'After Work' by Nick Cernicheck and Helen Hester explores the history of domestic labor and reimagining its future. Despite automation, robots have not significantly replaced human tasks in raising children, tending to the sick, or caring for the elderly. The question arises of how to reshape domestic labor in the face of technological advancements and the expanding care sector.
The Evolution of the Family
The family has gone through significant changes over the past two centuries. In pre-industrial times, different types of work were divided amongst family members. However, with the rise of industrial capitalism, a separation of work into gendered spheres occurred, with women focusing on reproductive labor. The nuclear family became a prevalent model, with the mother as an intra-familial reserve army of wage labor. The welfare state and neoliberal era have further shaped the family, with a focus on individual breadwinners and a shift of care work from the state to the family. Despite advances in technology, domestic work has not significantly decreased.
The Challenges of Automating Care Work
Automation and technology have not effectively reduced the workload in care work. While certain tasks, like cleaning, have become more efficient, standards and expectations have increased, leading to a similar time commitment. The use of technology and platforms in care work has not resulted in significant labor savings but has rather shifted the work to individuals, creating expert amateurs who often lack training and support. Additionally, the rise of the gig economy has formalized some care work, but it still remains poorly paid and lacking worker power. The de-skilling and displacement of care work raise concerns about the quality of care and the well-being of workers.
The Need for Collective Solutions
The current landscape of care work is characterized by the dominance of the nuclear family and the reliance on the state, leaving a gap in collective solutions. The decline of collective spaces, such as communal laundries and kitchens, has been influenced by larger manufacturers promoting household appliances and racial concerns regarding shared facilities. To address the challenges in care work, proposals such as long-term care centers have been put forward to provide a middle ground between home and hospital. Efforts to recognize, redistribute, and reduce care work are necessary to reimagine the future of domestic labor.
Public Luxury: Rethinking the Concept of Luxury
Public luxury challenges the traditional notion of luxury as exclusive status objects and instead focuses on high-quality collective goods. Examples include opulent libraries, beautiful public parks, and subsidized communal kitchens. The aim is to provide a good quality of life for everyone and reimagine luxury as being situated in the wider social fabric. The book proposes steps towards public luxury, such as undoing artificial family structures, implementing 24/7 universal childcare, and developing public cantines and long-term care centers.
Reorganizing Necessary Labor and Free Time
The aim is not to completely eradicate necessary labor but to distribute it more equitably and make it a freely chosen project. This involves minimizing burdensome work and providing options for sharing necessary labor among the community. The provision of 24/7 universal childcare and other forms of collective care are key to freeing up individuals' free time. It also requires advocating for better conditions and representation for domestic and childcare workers through labor organizing. The fight for free time encompasses both enabling individuals to pursue their current desires and cultivating new desires through a continual evolution of the post-work project.
Once upon a time we dreamed of a world free from household drudgery, helped by robot butlers, self-cleaning appliances and “smart” homes that saved energy and tidied after themselves. Yet despite decades of high-tech innovation in the home, we’ve barely reduced our workload – and no one’s managed to automate the folding of laundry. So why […]
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