Children, Gender and Families in Mediterranean Welfare States (Children’s Well-Being: Indicators and Research Book 2)

countries in this region have been particularly limited (for an exception to this, see Petmesidou & Papatheodorou, 2006). The underlying assumption in this volume is that despite the diversity of welfare states bordering the Mediterranean Sea, some interesting commonalities are shared by these nations. Indeed, in his contribution to this volume Gal has described these nations as belonging to an extended family of welfare states that share some common characteristics and outcomes, one of which is the role of the family. By bringing together case analyses of the welfare states in the Mediterranean which focus on children, gender, and families, we maintain that it is possible to shed light on aspects of social policy that do not necessarily emerge in most discussions of these issues in the literature. The rationale inherent in a volume that focuses on a group of welfare states is of course embedded in the welfare regime typology notion that has dominated much of the comparative social policy literature over the last two decades. The publication of Esping Andersen’s seminal work, The Three Worlds of Welfare Capitalism in 1990 (and his related 1999 book), which distinguished between three welfare regimes, became a landmark for comparative work of social policies in various countries. Esping-Andersen regarded his typology as a useful tool for comparison between welfare states because it allowed “for greater analytical parsimony and help[s] us to see the forest rather than myriad trees” (1999, p. 73). Contents Contributors Children, Gender, and Families in Mediterranean Welfare States: An Introduction References Part I Key Concepts Investing in Children? Changes in Policies Concerning Children and Families in European Countries Introduction The Role of Ideas in the Field of Child and Family Policies Germany: Sustainable Family Policy Reframing Policies Concerning Children and Families Norway: A Dualistic Model of Policies Concerning Children and Families Public Daycare for Children in Norway The Ambivalence of the Norwegian Policy Concerning Children and Families The Cash-for-Care Reform Italy: No Shift in Child and Family Policies General Features of the Italian Welfare State Family Policy Measures Public Childcare Centres and Preschools in Italy Public Preschools Childcare Centres Recent Trends in Policies Concerning Children and Families Conclusion References Understanding Gender Economic Inequality Across Welfare Regimes Introduction Framing the Institutional Context The Social-Democratic Context Equal Employment, Unequal Achievements The Conservative Context Unequal Employment, Equal Achievements The Liberal Context The Dual Model: Equal Opportunities and Class Divisions Summary and Conclusions Tables and Figures Appendix 1: Measures and Data Sources of the Gender Inequality Indicators Presented in all figures References Neighborhoods and Families Introduction Defining Community Families in a Global Context Community Effects on Families and Children Effects on Parenting Effects on Health Effects on Safety Effects on Achievement Effects on General Well-Being Conclusions References Part II Setting the Scene Exploring the Extended Family of Mediterranean Welfare States, or: Did Beveridge and Bismarck Take a Mediterranean Cruise Together? Introduction The Extended Family of Mediterranean Welfare States Enlarging the Mediterranean Family The Contours of an Extended Family of Mediterranean Welfare States Religion Family Clientelism-Particularism Conclusion References Part III Country Studies Children, Gender and Families in the Italian Welfare State Introduction The 1950s and 1960s: When Italy Turned from a Family Friendly State to a Pension State Women, Children, Families and the NorthSouth Divide The Regional Profile of Fertility Rates Female Labour Market Participation The Territorial Dimension of Child Poverty Family Friendly Policies and the Italian Pension Trap References The Erosion of Familism in the Spanish Welfare State: Childcare Policy Since 1975 Introduction Analytical Framework Selection of the Empirical Case Childcare Policies in Spain After 1975 Women in the Spanish Labor Market Political and Social Actors in the Policy Area on Childcare Conclusion References Children, Families and Women in the Israeli State: 1880s--2008 Introduction The Pre-State Period: 1880--1948 1950s--1960s: Legal and Social Protection of Mothers The 1970s: Mothers, Work and Children Children and the State The Mid-1990s: Immigrants, Motherhood, the Family and Welfare 2002--2003: Families, Women and Children in the Neo-Liberal Regime Concluding Remarks References Gender, Family and Children at the Crossroads of Social Policy Reform in Turkey: Alternating Between Familialism and Individualism Introduction The Turkish Welfare System and Its Ongoing Reform The Social Protection System: From Familialism to Individualism? Social Insurance and Healthcare Social Assistance and Services Protective Legislation and Recent Trends in the Labor Market Conclusion References Gender, Children and Families in the Greek Welfare State Introduction Reforms Initiatives and Arrangements Affecting Families and Children Gender Issues Family and Family Policies in Greece Children Parents, Usually Mothers Employment Reconciliation Concluding Remarks References Part IV A Cross-National Comparison Is There a Mediterranean Welfare State? A Country-Level Analysis Introduction Demographic Aspects Social Aspects Social Welfare in a Comparative Perspective An Example of the Relation Between Social Expenditure and Social Aspects: Gender and Inequality Discussion: Classification of the Mediterranean Welfare States Websites Accessed References Name Index Annotation The study of welfare states and social policy has enjoyed growing popularity in the last three decades. This field has been characterized by a growing level of theorization, richer case study analyses, inclusion of additional sources of welfare provision (non-profit, market-based, informal, family) and fields of study (globalization, gender, ethnicity, immigration, children), and increasingly complex, accurate and up-to-date cross-national comparative analyses.One of the subjects that have been the focus of much interest has been that of families, women and children €“ their social well being and their legal and economic status in the welfare state. The common assumption is that there is a clear relationship and interaction between the structuring of the welfare state and the well-being and social status of these subs groups. Cross-national comparative analyses have shown that this interaction differs significantly from country to country, depending on the culture, religion as well as on its welfare regime. Scholars are engaged in diverse efforts to understand the differences between these policies in diverse welfare states, the reasons for these differences and their results. This volume deals with these issues from a unique welfare regime perspective. While over the last two decades research on welfare states has generally tended to assume that these nations can be divided into welfare regimes with common characteristics, there has been much ambivalence towards, and much less study of, the welfare states in the Mediterranean region. This volume focuses on these welfare states and makes the case for regarding the nations in this region as belonging to a common family of nations. It then seeks to compare policies towards children, families and gender in these nations.The volume will seek to further this research agenda by including an initial section that offers an overview of the Mediterranean welfare states, and then discusses issues of children, families and gender in general. The second part of the book will offer detailed country studies of these issues, all authored by leading experts in the various countries Recent decades have seen a growing sophistication in the study of welfare states and social policy in general. This greater depth has come about as a result of more complex theorization; richer case study analysis; and the inclusion of additional sources of provision such as not-for-profit, market-based, informal and family welfare. The fields of study open to social scientists in this arena have also expanded to include issues such as globalization, gender, immigration and children, while benchmarking and performance monitoring within countries have afforded huge quantities of new data that allow for much more detailed cross-national comparative analysis. There is intense interest in the social well-being and the legal and economic status of families, women and children in the welfare state, and this volume deals with the issues from a unique 'welfare regime' perspective. Casting aside the generally held assumption that national welfare regimes have common characteristics, this book makes the case that the Mediterranean states share a unique set of commonalities. In doing so, it offers a close comparative analysis of policies towards children, families and gender in these nations--Italy, Spain, Greece, Turkey and Israel. Beginning with an overview of these countries' welfare states and a discussion of the issues of children, families and gender in general terms, the volume then provides readers at both undergraduate and graduate level with detailed country-by-country comparative studies of these issues, authored by leading experts from the nations themselves Children, Gender, And Families In Mediterranean Welfare States : An Introduction / John Gal And Mimi Ajzenstadt -- Investing In Children? Changes In Policies Concerning Children And Families In European Countries / Thomas Olk -- Understanding Gender Economic Inequality Across Welfare Regimes / Hadas Mandel -- Neighborhoods And Families / James R. Mcdonell -- Exploring The Extended Family Of Mediterranean Welfare States, Or, Did Beveridge And Bismarck Take A Mediterranean Cruise Together? / John Gal -- Children, Gender And Families In The Italian Welfare State / Valeria Fargion -- The Erosion Of Familism In The Spanish Welfare State : Childcare Policy Since 1975 / Celia Valiente -- Children, Families And Women In The Israeli State : 1880s-2008 / Mimi Ajzenstadt -- Gender, Family And Children At The Crossroads Of Social Policy Reform In Turkey : Alternating Between Familialism And Individualism / Azer Kılıç -- Gender, Children And Families In The Greek Welfare State / Theano Kallinikaki -- Is There A Mediterranean Welfare State? A Country-level Analysis / Anat Guy. Mimi Ajzenstadt, John Gal, Editors. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. The study of welfare states and social policy has enjoyed growing popularity in the last three decades. This field has been characterized by a growing level of theorization, richer case study analyses, inclusion of additional sources of welfare provision (non-profit, market-based, informal, family), and fields of study (globalization, gender, ethnicity, immigration, children), and increasingly complex, accurate and up-to-date cross-national comparative analyses. One of the subjects that have been the focus of much interest has been that of families, women and children - their social well being