Caring About and For the Cuts: a Case Study of the Gendered Dimension of Austerity and Anti‐austerity Activism

Austerity is a feminist issue, given its disproportionate impact on women. Within Nottingham there has been a strong resistance to austerity. However, the key local anti‐austerity groups neglect this gendered dimension, resulting in women forming their own community groups to provide practical support to women affected by the cuts. This article explores this feminist response to austerity, raising the question of why this gendered dimension is not visible within key local anti‐austerity movements. It seeks to answer this question by drawing on data from semi‐structured interviews with activists, paying close attention to the gendered barriers and exclusions to activism that exist. In particular, this article explores the complex relationship between care and activism that underlies many of these barriers. Finally, it offers some potential solutions to this key problem.