Zenit: Holy See on Men and Women Sharing Responsibilities"Human Beings Are Not Only Autonomous and Equal But Also Interdependent" [2009-03-10]

One might think this would be another PC speech coming from the Curia--it does not talk about sex differences or the complementarity of the sexes. Nonetheless, it is true that both men and women have duties to take care of family members, especially parents, and others in their networks.

The overcoming of the dilemma between autonomy and dependence also favors a new vision of the work of care that can no longer be attributed only to certain groups, such as women and immigrants, but must also be shared between all women and men, in households as well as in the public sector.

In particular, it is more and more untenable that there continue to be attitudes and places - even in health care - where women are discriminated against and their contribution to society is undervalued simply because they are women. Recourse to social and cultural pressure in order to maintain the inequality of the sexes is unacceptable.

Mr. Chairman, since our debate mainly focuses on sharing responsibilities and caregiving between women and men in the context of HIV/AIDS, the very first thought goes to the primary and best meaning of care, namely taking care, protecting and promoting the wellbeing of others. In this context, HIV/AIDS calls into question the values by which we live our lives and how we treat, or fail to treat, one another.

Community-based care and worldwide support for those suffering from this disease remain essential. Home-based care is the preferred means of care in many social and cultural settings, and is often more sustainable and successful over the long term when based within communities. In fact, when many members of a community are involved in care and support, there is less likely to be stigma associated with the disease.

Unfortunately, community- and home-based care is largely unrecognized, and many caregivers face precarious financial situations. Very little of the funds spent every year on providing assistance to those who are suffering as well as on much needed research to combat the disease go to supporting them. Studies have shown that community and home-based caregivers actually experience more stress than medical personnel; so better support must be provided for these persons, particularly women and older persons who are caregivers.

With the discussion of community- and home-based (or family-based) caregiving, there is an implicit endorsement of the traditional understanding of the place of the household as the fundamental economic unit. The connection between a healthy household economy and the services that are rendered by members of a household to one another needs to be drawn out, but I don't expect the Holy See to come out with a statement condemning globalization. It would not be well-received, and besides they're too cautious to do such a thing without making sure there are reasons for such a condemnation, and there are too many conflicting reports about the net effects of globalization.