Full Spectrum Economy

Riane Eisler, author of the Real Wealth of Nations, is an advocate from what is called a caring economy--an economy that values the contributions of care to our society that is not measured in our traditional measurements of wealth and prosperity. For example, "The addition of Household enterprise and Volunteer service sectors makes possible new ways for accumulating “real wealth” beyond the markets. This brings the people into the equation while taking the pressure off the markets to be the sole creator wealth." (from http://www.partnershipway.org/caring-economics/full-spectrum-economy-blog/triple-bottom-line-full-spectrum-economy). The household enterprise consists of the work traditionally done by women (but increasingly men) in caring for children and elderly parents. Child rearing is not a remunerated job, but extremely valuable to society. She argues that if these sectors were given more equal weight, the triple bottom line would be much easier to accomplish.

I like Riane's thinking, in rethinking the sectors of our economy. Were we to value the contributions made in the care industries based on impact, they would compete strongly with any other sector. Unfortunately, it still remains unclear to me how feasible it will be to move for this kind of change on a policy level. It is still an individual choice for those in power to allow for these sectors to be acknowledged. How can we as people make the cultural shift necessary to counter the predominate view and social structure that devalues the care we provide to our children and elderly? Social determinants of health seem to be a potential source for data to support this argument. But how long will it take for the data to prove what we know to be true? It's situations like these where I wish our political system allowed for female intuition, cause mama knows best.