Providing, Not Just Provisioning

The authors distinguish between two modes of caregiving: providing and provisioning. Caregiving can be provided directly or provisioned—that is, arranged to be done by someone else. The authors further explain how people have providing ambition—they aspire to provide care directly—and provisioning ambition—they have aspirations concerning procuring care by others. This distinction and the key role of providing ambition are at the heart of work–care conflict and the tough choices that parents, especially, face about child care and fulfilling caregiving ambition. The authors discuss how many parents report that their providing ambition directly clashes with their work ambitions and how their preference is child care by relatives. They also consider how the providing–provisioning distinction helps to explain why child care became such a flashpoint for second-wave feminism and underlies many modern stereotypes of parenting, such as helicopter parents. Finally, they give readers the opportunity to rate their own providing and provisioning ambitions.