Does Anyone Have a "Libre Choix"? Subversive Liberalism and the Politics of French Child Care Policy

Abstract

The effects of national financial & employment crises on France's child care system are studied; in addition, the impact of the crisis concerning the legitimacy of France's welfare system on child care provisions are explored. An overview of the child care system within the context of the French welfare system is presented, emphasizing the extent of women's labor participation & families' use of preschool care. It is contended that France's economic problems throughout the 1980s severely affected all social services & that the public's acceptance of certain child care services decelerated. It is claimed that the nation's unemployment problems have encouraged the French state to advocate at-home child care rather than parents' use of public child care facilities. Moreover, it is revealed that questions concerning the welfare state's legitimacy have increased local governments' role in child care policymaking. Additional attention is directed toward examining whether "free choice" policies have actually provided parents with multiple child care choices & reduced persistent gender inequalities. 2 Tables, 3 Figures, 23 References. J. W. Parker