To feel concern, interest, or affection about someone or something, and to want to help, protect, or look after them.
From Old English 'caru' or 'cearu', meaning 'sorrow', 'anxiety', or 'serious attention'. Over time, the emotional pain sense softened into concern and loving attention.
Originally, 'care' was closer to 'worry' or 'sorrow', which shows how deeply we hurt over what we love. To care for someone is to accept that their pain and safety will always matter to you.
The language of 'care' has often been feminized, with caregiving roles socially and economically assigned to women and girls. This has contributed to the devaluation and invisibilization of care work, both paid and unpaid.
Use 'care' to describe responsibilities and professions across all genders, and avoid implying that caring is naturally or exclusively a feminine trait. When possible, explicitly recognize care work as skilled and valuable labor.
["support","attend to","look after"]
Women, especially women of color, have historically carried the bulk of care work in families, communities, and health systems, often without recognition or fair compensation. Naming and valuing their contributions helps correct this systemic erasure.
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