: Reconciling Paid Work and Care in European Welfare Regimes

Abstract

International audienceIn all European Union members' states, however with various intensity and forms, women's increasing participation in the labour force concur to change care responsibilities vis-à-vis children and the elderly, thereby reframing households' employment patterns and shifting the border between family and collective solidarities. The paper examines how paid work and care are being reconciled in European countries, highlighting the role of institutions and public policies in framing various gender contracts. It also highlights the role of values on individual and social practices. The paper also examines how care issues emerge in academic and political debates along with the “silent revolution” that is the changing role of women in the society. Finally, it shows how welfare regimes are connected to various gender contracts