Economic restructuring in the developing world has raised feminist concerns about social reproduction more broadly, and women’s increasing burdens of unpaid care work in particular. While the present moment may not be marked by a generalized care crisis, systems of care provision are under strain in some contexts and for some social groups. An increasing number of governments are experimenting with new ways of responding to care needs in their societies. However, these have been insufficiently recognized and analysed, this is what this paper seeks to address. The paper concluded by arguing that the failure to socialize the costs of care will feed into and exacerbate existing inequalities.