This article argues that 'an ethic of care' needs to be at the heart of a new model of development. It discusses the need for limits and boundaries on the degree to which care and love can be or should be provided through market rather than social relations. Acknowledging that market provided care has increased women's emancipation, this article asks how this new model of development can reconcile a society that values both reciprocal care relations and women's equality. It concludes that a new development model should promote a carer-worker model for Ireland's future. Care, in its broadest sense, extends to love and solidarity. Citizenship, education and public spaces are important practices through which we can develop the type of solidarity needed to underpin a society that has a real ethic of care for each other and a global solidarity with humanity.