Where society is viewed as an association of equal and autonomous persons, the work of caring for dependents, "love's labors", figure neither in political theory nor in social policy. While some women have made many gains, equality continues to elude many others, because, in large measure, social institutions fail to take into account the dependency of childhood, illness and disability and, frail old age and fail to adequately support those who care for dependents, "the dependency workers". Eva Feder Kittay explores the significance of dependency work by analyzing John Rawls' influential liberal theory and two examples of public policy--welfare "reform" and family leave--to show how both theory and policy fail women when they miss the centrality of dependency to questions of justice. A vision of equality emerges, one which recognizes that those who care for others require the support of the larger community.