The road to the Care Strike 2027 starts now - let's start the Care Revolution!

The flyer below was created as part of the feminist/care strike working group in the Care Revolution network. The working group urgently wanted a flyer that groups and people involved in the working group could use on 8 March. Due to time constraints, the working group did not approve the text as a flyer for the working group, but it was discussed and found to be "nice that it exists". Because we discussed the problem in the network that the text could be understood as a flyer of the network, it should be emphasised here: Like the other speeches and flyers that were created within the network for 8 March and which we have documented on the website, this is not an "official" text of the entire network. The version below, linked as a PDF, was distributed by the Berlin regional group at the 8 March demonstration.

We experience this every day: Capitalism and the male quest for dominance are not good for us. Living as isolated individuals who are constantly competing for money, status, careers, friends ... trying to get the best for themselves while subjugating other people and even more so non-human nature to their own interests is not only disgusting. Such a life is also a sure path to unhappiness. Living in circumstances in which we perceive ourselves as competitors because the necessities are supposedly not enough for everyone also leads to the devaluation and ultimately dehumanisation of certain people as "different", weak or worthless.

However, there is no alternative. If we look out for each other, keep everyone's needs in mind, organise life together and share things and facilities that can be shared, we can ensure that everyone can be cared for and looked after without unnecessary consumption of resources and unnecessarily long working hours. Human relationships are at the centre of such an alternative. This is not a tragic limitation of the very masculine image of autonomy and independence. On the contrary: rich, supportive relationships are the basis of a good life.

At present, however, the care work that sustains relationships is not simply fulfilling. Unpaid domestic and family work in particular is overlooked, not accepted as work and devalued. Many care jobs are poorly paid and suffer from cost pressure. This does not affect everyone equally: Care work, in both its paid and unpaid forms, is performed particularly by women or people read as female. Migrant women in particular work in the lowest-paid occupations and in wage labour in private households.

What should be a central and self-evident part of a good life is a source of overwork, poverty and, when institutions come into play, treatment from above. This has to change, and we can change it! For example, through a feminist strike, not only for better framework conditions for care relationships, but also with answers to the question: How do we organise our care work in joint responsibility and in line with our needs - on the day of the strike itself and in the long term?

There is a global tradition of large women* and care strikes. There is a nationwide feminist strike network that has been pushing care labour struggles for years. And there are more and more women's, feminist and care groups who are talking about a big strike day in 2027. We are participating in the Care Revolution network and would like to start mobilising now.

Who are we? We are active in various groups in the Care Revolution network. The Care Revolution network is involved in various cities and as a network in care struggles and interventions around care work, both paid and unpaid. Our starting points: Care work concerns everyone and must be at the centre of society. We need a well-developed social infrastructure, democratically organised and accessible to all; this must not be subject to cost constraints. We are committed to jointly managed conflicts between people dependent on care, people working in families, care facilities, neighbourhood shops, etc. Because together we are incredibly strong. Because together we are incredibly strong, but we need goals that benefit everyone in order to work together. Ultimately, we want a society in which it is a shared responsibility to support care relationships, in which social support is organised democratically and in line with needs, in which some people do not benefit one-sidedly from the work of others according to class and gender boundaries.

You can reach the Care Revolution network via our website: https://care-revolution.org/

Here is the layout of the flyer: