Analysis of the postwar record in Great Britain shows that the state's response to the needs of the elderly has been increasingly centered on the provision of care in the community, or in the family. This community care policy is examined in relation both to some of the implicit functions of this policy and to performance of the policy in practice, particularly in relation to its effects on the sexual division of labor within the family. Also discussed are the processes which create dependency, and the possible conflict between increasing dependency and other social changes, specifically the changing status and aspirations of women. The article concludes with some tentative remarks about the future of community care.
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