The Role of Fear in the Live-In-Care Discourse. An Ethical Analysis of German Newspapers

Abstract

Migrant live-in care is an essential but controversial part of the care system in Germany and is therefore discussed emotionally in public discourse. While there is already plenty of research on conflicts arising at the micro-level of these care arrangements, the public discourse on live-in care and its emotional dimension has received less scientific attention. The role of fear appears particularly significant as it points to moral assumptions about migrant live-in care. In our contribution, we analyse the communication of fear in the German live-in care discourse in various newspapers between 2017 and 2023, and explore the moral assumptions behind these fears. Two events turn out to be especially relevant: the Covid-19 pandemic and a decision by the Federal Labour Court on payment for on-call times of live-in carers. In both cases, the discourse is replete with predictions of the impending collapse of the care system, which correspond to fears about the future of eldercare in Germany. Fear functions as a moral call to action. Its public communication expresses a perceived lack of political solutions to fundamental problems in (live-in) care.