These involve economic liberalization and the concentration of productive and financial activity geared to short-term profits ; unrestrained material consumption ; unparalleled levels of militarism ; and the privatization of public goods and services , all at the expense of state regulation and redistribution . Such processes have caused , in many places , crises of care , which means the breakdown in the abilities of individuals , families , communities and societies to sustain , care for and educate themselves and future generations , thereby undermining people 's rights and dignity ( United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women ( UN-Women ) , 2014 ) .