| Publication |
2008.
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| Summary/Abstract |
In this article, we describe the social and economic changes that have contributed to contemporary problems of work-family conflict, gender inequality, and risks to children's healthy development. We draw on feminist welfare state scholarship to outline an institutional arrangement that would support an earner-carer society-a social arrangement in which women and men engage symmetrically in paid work and unpaid caregiving and where young children have ample time with their parents. We present a blueprint for work-family reconciliation policies in three areas-paid family-leave provisions, working-time regulations, and early childhood education and care-and we identify key policy design principles. We describe and assess these work-family reconciliation policies as they operate in six European countries widely considered to be policy exemplars: Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Belgium, and France. We close with an analysis of potential objections to these policies.
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