In an increasingly complex world marked by crises, the responsible use of wealth and the concept of affluent neglect have become pressing societal concerns. This qualitative study explores the social commitment of next-generation business family members (next gens), who inherited significant wealth and responsibility. Drawing on 40 semistructured interviews and grounded theory methodology, we identify four distinct types of next-generation caregivers. Their approaches to social commitment span across two dimensions: the feminist/paternalistic caring dimension and the family business/nonfamily business dimension. Our findings contribute to the ethics of care literature by examining the nuanced tradeoffs between care and justice in the social commitment of next gens. Moreover, we differentiate feminist caring, which aligns with the ethics of care framework, from paternalistic caring, a more implicit and traditional approach often embedded in family business contexts.
