Altenpflege zwischen Staatsorientierung, Markt und Selbstorganisation

Socio-economic structural change has promoted a marked increase in female-dominated care work in the area of care of the elderly. Paradoxically, care of the elderly is characterised by simultaneity between a traditional notion of help and modern economic logic. On the one hand, care of the elderly is shaped by competition-oriented labour market actors. But on the other hand, there is only a rudimentary system of self-organised, confident collective actors among the employees. What hinders employees in care of the elderly – for instance in comparison to employees in nursery schools – from taking advantage of works councils, or seeking trade union interest representation to achieve a stronger level of self-organisation? The central argument of this article is that the existing main focus on the state by employers and employees is seen as a threat to a necessary strategy of self-organisation.