While in the past family life was characterised as a "haven from the harsh realities of life," it is now recognised as a site of vulnerabilities and a place where care work can go unacknowledged and be a source of social and economic hardship. This book addresses the strong relationships that exist between vulnerability and care and dependency in particular contexts, where family law and social policy have a contribution to make.

A fundamental premise of this collection is that vulnerability needs to be analysed in a way that gets at the heart of the differential power...