Ubi non est mulier, ingemiscit egens?

Abstract

This essay studies the feminization of different caring practices by examining the cultural meanings attached to the biblical proverb Sirach 36:27. Touching on diverse sources, it investigates three interrelated contexts of use. In particular, I explore discourses on wifely responsibilities towards the needy husband; on charitable care for the sick and poor; and on the nature and social status of women. I suggest that by using the proverb as an argument, learned men subsumed a wide variety of caring practices under received notions of essentially female duties and innate qualities, connected above all to gendered ideas of compassion. However, the essay also highlights ambivalent attitudes towards female caregivers, as well as their agency and power, that surface within these complex discourses.