Professor Elena Moore delivers the VC's inaugural lecture.

When Professor Elena Moore asks the question, “Who cares?”, she is not asking it rhetorically. Instead, the question sits at the centre of more than two decades of research into family life, social policy, and the everyday realities of care in societies shaped by inequality.

The question formed the basis of her VC’s Inaugural Lecture at the University of Cape Town (UCT), where she reflected on the intellectual journey that has guided her work across continents and disciplines. 

For Moore, questions about care – who provides it, who is responsible for it and how it is recognised – revealed how societies function.

“We all give support or receive support from family members,” she said. “But why do we do it? Is it because we have a legal duty, a moral obligation, or because social ties make us feel responsible?” 

Across Southern Africa, caregiving responsibilities often extend well beyond the nuclear family. Individuals frequently provide financial and emotional support to nieces, nephews, grandparents and other extended relatives. These forms of care are widely practiced but are not always recognised by law or reflected in policy frameworks.

Much of Moore's research explores how informal systems of care intersect with legal systems, state policies and cultural practices. Her work shows that decisions about marriage, divorce, caregiving and inheritance are shaped not only by personal relationships but also by the broader institutional environments in which people live.

The origins of these questions can be traced back to her postgraduate studies at Trinity College Dublin. While studying Ireland’s 1937 constitution, Prof. Moore encountered provisions defining women’s roles within the home – principles that influenced social expectations for generations.

“That was the beginning of thinking about how the state shapes intimate lives." 

Her doctoral research later examined divorce and separation in Ireland, exploring how laws governing family life shaped not only legal outcomes but also the emotional experiences of parents navigating separation.

Moving to South Africa opened a new chapter in her work. Families here, she observed, often operate across multiple households and generations, with responsibilities shared among extended networks.

“Families are characterised by fluidity. People move in and out of families and maintain responsibilities across multiple households.” 

These insights led her to focus increasingly on questions of elder care and social protection. Across Southern Africa, care for older persons is overwhelmingly provided by families rather than formal institutions, yet the realities of this care remain poorly understood.

To address this gap, Moore and her collaborators launched a large research project examining elder care across four countries. The initiative brings together researchers, civil society organisations and policymakers to better understand how care operates within households and communities.

Research, according to Moore, must extend beyond academic publication.

“We’ve moved past the time when writing about problems is enough. Research should help shift narratives and shape policy conversations.” 

That approach has informed work examining South Africa’s grant-in-aid for older persons, where Moore’s team dentified barriers that prevented many eligible individuals from accessing the benefit. Their findings have contributed to discussions aimed at simplifying the application process.

Throughout her career, Moore has also focused on building networks of scholars and mentoring emerging researchers working on issues of care, family and social protection.

As she concluded her lecture, she returned to the question that continues to guide her work: how responsibility for care should be shared across families, communities and the state.

“What practices produce good care?” she asked. “But also, what practices produce just care relations?”