Abstract

This project seeks to investigate the entanglements of inequality, middle-class insecurity, and care in the context of Portugal’s evolving socio-economic landscape. Building on a robust interdisciplinary foundation, the study adopts a holistic and ethnographically informed approach to interrogate the material and social dimensions of household resilience amidst widening disparities. Central to the inquiry are questions concerning the interplay between state policies, family resources, and the care economy, particularly as they cut through intergenerational equity and gender roles. Anchored in the global trajectories of financialization and class dynamics, this project will critically examine the implications of these phenomena for local realities in Portugal, offering a comparative perspective that bridges northern and southern Europe. By linking grounded experiences of care with political economic dynamics, the research aims to contribute to broader debates on social reproduction, the reconfiguration of middle-class identity, and the persistence of inequality in contemporary capitalism.