Professor Moore will present her lecture, “Who cares? The directions of state-family relationships in changing times”, on Wednesday, 4 March 2026 at 17:30 SAST at the New Lecture Theatre on upper campus.

This lecture will explore how societies organise and manage care during periods of social and economic transition. It will look at who carries responsibility for care across households, government and other institutions, and how those arrangements shape everyday life. The discussion positions care as a public and political issue, influenced by policy decisions, labour systems, demographic change and longstanding inequalities rooted in post-colonial histories. It frames care as a social relationship shaped by power, resources and access. The lecture invites audiences to rethink how care is recognised, valued and shared; and to consider what fair responsibility looks like in changing societies.

Moore is a professor of Sociology at UCT. Her scholarship examines family dynamics, gender inequality and the evolving relationship between families and the state. She has authored Generation, Gender and Negotiating Custom in South Africa (2022); and Divorce, Families and Emotion Work (2017). She also co-authored Reform of Customary Marriage, Divorce and Succession in South Africa (2015) with Chuma Himonga. Her research has informed both academic debate and policy discussions across the region.

She has received UCT’s Distinguished Teacher Award and the Vice-Chancellor’s Social Responsiveness Award in recognition of her academic leadership and public engagement. She currently leads a regional research initiative on family caregiving for older persons in Southern Africa, supported by a Wellcome Career Award and an IDRC Scaling Care Innovations in Africa Award.

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