Restructuring Family Policies : Convergences and Divergences.
- 1st ed.
- 1 online resource (310 pages)
Intro -- Contents -- List of Tables -- Preface -- 1 Restructuring Family Policies -- The Focus of This Book -- Methodology -- Chapter Outline -- Defining Key Terms -- Defining 'Families' -- Defining 'Family Policy' -- Defining 'Restructuring' -- Globalization and Restructuring -- Conclusion -- 2 Socio-demographic Changes and Family Policy Restructuring -- Rising Cohabitation Rates -- Gay and Lesbian Cohabitation -- Declining Fertility but More Births outside Marriage -- Influences on Family Demography -- Work Patterns Influence Family Patterns and Practices -- Changing Technology Influences Family Patterns -- Changing Ideas Influence Family Patterns and Practices -- Conclusion -- 3 Welfare Regimes, National Politics, and Family Policies -- Conceptualizing Welfare Regimes -- Liberal or Residual Welfare Regimes -- Corporatist or Conservative Regimes -- Social Democratic Welfare Regimes -- Welfare Regimes as Ideal Types -- Debates about Welfare Regimes -- Feminist Critiques of Welfare Regimes -- Alternative Welfare Regimes Focusing on Caring and Family -- Comparing State Support for Women as Mothers and Workers -- Comparing State Support for Families in General -- The Influence of National Politics on Policy Debates -- Conclusion -- 4 Growing Internationalization and Family Policies -- The Growing Internationalization of Labour Markets and Trade -- Increased International Migration, Travel, and Communication -- Pressure from International Organizations to Reform Family Policies -- Freer Trade, Neoliberal Restructuring, and Families -- Conclusion -- 5 Reproductive Health and Childbirth -- Basic Indicators of Well-being -- Reproductive Health Policies and Services -- Contraception Programs and Sexuality -- Access to Abortion -- Fertility and the State -- Maternity Care Policies and Practices -- The 'Medicalization' of Childbirth. Breastfeeding Policies and Practices -- Medically Assisted Conception -- Conclusion -- 6 Work, Gender, and Parenthood -- Parenthood and Paid Work -- Concerns about Maternal Employment -- Making Adaptations for Earning and Caring -- Policy Approaches to Working Parents -- Differing Models of Maternity/Parental Benefits -- Targeting Benefits to Mothers -- Targeting Benefits to Parents -- The Laissez-Faire Model -- Whose Interests Are Protected by Various Leave Policies? -- Reforming Parental Leave Policies -- The Gendered Division of Domestic Work -- Conclusion -- 7 The Care and Welfare of Children -- Childcare Policies for Employed Mothers -- Funding and Regulating Childcare -- Cross-national Variations in Childcare Programs -- The Growing Demand for High-Quality Childcare -- State Support for Childcare at Home -- 'Legitimacy' and Adoption -- From Foster Care to Kin Care -- Children's Rights and Programs to Counter Abuse -- Conclusion -- 8 Social Housing and Income Support -- Recent Arguments about Family Income Support -- The Need to Reduce 'Child Poverty' -- Preventing 'Social Exclusion' Is More Important Than Reducing Poverty -- Benefit Recipients Should Become More Employable -- Investing in Children -- Social Housing and Family Well-being -- State Income Support -- Restructuring Family Income Support in Canada -- Restructuring Income Support for Australian Families -- Comparing Canadian and Australian Reforms -- Conclusion -- 9 Divorce, Child Support, and International Migration -- Changing Attitudes to Divorce -- Comparative Divorce Rates -- Separation, Divorce, and Children -- Lone Parenthood and Re-partnering -- Legal and Policy Issues -- The Division of Family Assets and Spousal Support -- Guardianship, Custody, and Access to Children -- Awarding and Enforcing Child Support -- International Agreements on the Enforcement of Child Support. Child Custody, Domestic Violence, and the Hague Convention -- Child Custody, Domestic Violence, and Border Crossings in Specific Countries -- Conclusion -- 10 Strengthening and Reducing Family Support -- Which Family Programs Have Been Strengthened? -- The Expansion of Paid Parental Leave -- The Expansion of Childcare Services -- Child Benefits and Child Support -- Improvements to Child Welfare Practices -- New Ways of Dealing with Violence against Women -- Relationship Rights for Same-Sex Couples -- Better Pay for Part-time Workers in Some Jurisdictions -- Which Family Benefits Have Been Eroded? -- Cuts to Income Support -- Reproductive Services -- Waiting Lists for Family Services -- Changing Employment Protections -- Which Governments Best Protect Family Benefits? -- Family Policy and Future Convergence -- Works Cited -- Index -- A -- B -- C -- D -- E -- F -- G -- H -- I -- J -- K -- L -- M -- N -- O -- P -- Q -- R -- S -- T -- U -- V -- W -- Y -- Z.
Drawing from nation-based research, cross-national studies, and international data bases, Restructuring Family Policiessuccessfully integrates mainstream academic debates about restructuring welfare states with feminist research findings and current policy concerns.