Family Policies in the Context of Family Change

The Nordic Countries in Comparative Perspective
2008
ISBN: 978-3-531-14564-8
Verlag: VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften

Buch, Deutsch, 209 Seiten, Format (B × H): 170 mm x 244 mm, Gewicht: 382 g

A better work-life balance for working parents has become an imperative social policy issue in most contemporary welfare states and sets two objectives: to increase flexible labour forces as well as the number of daycare facilities and to improve children´s overall education. Drawing upon up-to-date empirical data, the volume provides detailed insights in policies targeting families, above all, women as (to be) parents and workers. It compares experiences made in Nordic countries during the last 20 years. These countries have become paragons for policies that apparently work in favour of improving the work-life balance, equal employment opportunities and public child care. The Netherlands, Germany and the UK are taken in as countries that provide contrasts in employment patterns and family-related policies. The volume is a timely contribution to ongoing debates on ‘policies that work’ and related quests for policy-learning in regard to boosting female employment, maintaining, even increasing, birth-rates and investing in human resources.

Zielgruppe

Research

Autoren/Hrsg.

Schmitt, Christoph

Ostner, Ilona

Fachgebiete

• Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie | Soziale Arbeit Spezielle Soziologie Familiensoziologie
• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Regierungspolitik Sozialpolitik

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Family Policy. The Case of Sweden.- Current Issues of Family Policy in Denmark.- Family Policies in Finland.- Family Policies in Norway.- Family Policy in Iceland: An Overview.- Family Policies in the UK.- Private Responsibility and Some Support. Family Policies in The Netherlands.- Family Policies in Germany.- Conclusion.

Über Autor(innen)

Ilona Ostner is Professor of Social Policy at the Georg-August-University, Göttingen, Faculty of Social Science.
Christoph Schmitt teaches social policy at the Georg-August-University, Göttingen, Faculty of Social Science.