Coalition Politics, Care Work and Climate Justice: A Case Study of Emerging Alliances in Austria

Sammanfattning: Sustainability transformations will require a fundamental re-thinking of work. However, so far the role of reproductive care work in these transformations is hardly recognized, although this work is low-carbon and essential in sustainable futures. This thesis examines the intersectional coalition politics articulated by feminist activists, climate justice movements and labor unions around the role of care work in environmental politics in Austria. Framed by ecofeminist theory on social reproduction, the analysis shows how these groups lift the relevance of reproductive labor in just sustainability transformations, while articulating it as a strategic frontier in their struggles. Hence, this thesis highlights the necessity of promoting gender-sensitive climate action, to push for a transition not only out of fossil fuels, but out of unequal gender relations, which are perpetuated by the subordination of reproductive to productive labor.