From Crisis to a Care Society

A Conversation with Francisca Gallegos

Abstract

This interview addresses the crisis of care and the political horizon of a “care society” through a conversation between Camilo Sembler and Francisca Gallegos, Chile’s Undersecretary of Social Services. Drawing on the intersection between social sciences and public policy, the dialogue examines the specific features of the care crisis in the Chilean context, shaped by familism, the feminization of reproductive labor, and institutional fragmentation. It further explores the scope, achievements, and tensions involved in the development of the National System of Support and Care under President Gabriel Boric’s administration, as well as the cultural, economic, and political challenges facing this paradigm amid contemporary ideological disputes. The interview conceptualizes care as a need, a form of work, and a social right, emphasizing its transformative potential for social organization and welfare regimes.