The invisible work our economies don’t care to see

Modern economies pride themselves on precision, yet vast amounts of essential work remain uncounted. Care, attention, emotional labour — the daily acts that sustain families, workplaces, and societies — rarely appear on balance sheets. They are treated as natural, informal, or simply assumed. Most often, they are performed by women.

Taking place right after International Women’s Rights Day, this conversation brings together Danish writer and feminist thinker Emma Holten with the international NGO Make Mothers Matter to examine how economic systems have learned to look past care.

Drawing on Holten’s 'Deficit' and MMM’s advocacy for recognising mothers as changemakers, the discussion questions why care activities are dismissed as lesser, despite being fundamental to social and economic stability.

What would change if care were treated not as a moral add-on, but as economic infrastructure?

This talk challenges traditional economic and social systems, questioning how women’s work, gender, and the value of labour are perceived.

It will be followed by a book signing of 'Deficit' (Penguin Books, 2025) and its French edition 'Nous le valons bien'(Robert Laffont, 2026) by Emma Holten. 

©Sol Cotti