Category: Women and Gender Studies
Bringing Women’s Care Work into Focus
November 10, 2026 Written by Department of Women & Gender Studies
Chrysanthi Leon’s research examines how systems of punishment depend on women’s unpaid labor
Who supports people rebuilding their lives after prison, and what does that support cost? University of Delaware professor Chrysanthi Leon’s research examines how systems of punishment depend on women’s often unpaid labor while creating obstacles to their caregiving.
Leon, professor of sociology and criminal justice, presented this work Oct. 20 at Gore Recital Hall in the Roselle Center for the Arts. Hosted by the Department of Women and Gender Studies, her Carter Series lecture recognized her as the 2026 Mae and Robert Carter Faculty Research Award recipient.
Drawing on 17 years of field observations and 94 interviews, Leon studies people returning from prison, those supporting them and individuals occupying both roles. Her findings reveal how women provide housing, transportation, emotional support and connections that formal services frequently fail to supply.
“Women are doing the work of care, which is also the work of the state,” Leon said.
Her research also documents caregiving within prisons, including women assisting others experiencing illness, aging and withdrawal. Through these accounts, Leon challenges narratives that reduce people to their convictions rather than recognizing their contributions and capacity for connection.
Beyond documenting barriers, she examines community responses, including peer support and restorative approaches that emphasize accountability without isolation.
Carter funding supports this collaborative scholarship, involving undergraduate and graduate students in research and writing alongside people directly affected by incarceration.
By centering lived experiences, Leon’s work advances the department’s commitment to making women’s contributions visible and invites audiences to reconsider how communities recognize, resource and sustain essential care work.
Stay tuned for the next Carter Series in October 2027, featuring Karen Parker, the upcoming recipient of the Mae and Robert Carter Faculty Research Award.
