The Woman’s Soul as “Shelter”: Edith Stein on the Work of Women

Though sometimes overlooked, the distinct category of the work of women is essential to a thorough intellectual history of the idea of work. In the vein of Jean Bethke Elshtain’s seminal work Public Man, Private Woman, which surfaced the behind-the scenes work of women as relevant to the history of western political philosophy, this chapter hopes to highlight the oftentimes minimised or neglected types of work, historically considered to belong in the realm of women or the “private sphere”, as relevant to the history of the idea of work. To do so, this chapter explores the writings of philosopher and saint Edith Stein. Mentored by Edmund Husserl and martyred in Auschwitz, Edith Stein was one of the most interesting thinkers of the twentieth century. First, Stein’s writings on the work of women and women’s particular “vocations” are interrogated, offering an overview of one important perspective on the feminine experience of work and work historically labelled as feminine. This includes work in the areas of care, spirituality, and education. Second, this chapter establishes links between Stein on the theme of women’s work and one of her other major intellectual interests – the phenomenology of empathy.