Gender-based violence policies and the sustainability of univerity life: Insights from care work

Abstract

This article examines university policies addressing gender-based violence as a form of care work within academic institutions. Drawing on interviews, observations, and document analysis, it explores a case study at the National University of Cuyo (Argentina), focusing on a gender-based violence response unit and the implementation of an institutional protocol for handling complaints of sexist violence. Grounded in feminist economics, the analysis looks beyond the provision of services to consider the care dimensions of this work and its contribution to sustaining university life. The theoretical framework weaves together key concepts such as “care work,” “social organization of care,” “reactionary ethics of care,” and “sustainability of life.” The findings highlight the transformative potential of these policies—not only in repairing community bonds but also in challenging structural inequalities within the university. At the same time, the perspective of the workers reveals persistent challenges: the complexity of the cases addressed, lack of resources, the feminized and undervalued nature of the work, and the marginal position of such units within the institutional hierarchy. The article argues that acknowledging and elevating care-work is essential for advancing the de-patriarchalization of universities and strengthening their ability to uphold rights. In this sense, it calls on institutions to center care for life as both an ethical and political imperative.