Suchergebnisse

This book aims to explore the nature and extent of the 'care deficit' problem in European societies and how effective the different care systems are in dealing with these problems through policy innovation. It combines theoretical and conceptual debates, cross-national comparisons and analytically-driven case studies

This paper explores the increasing significance of domestic workers in Spain, a country that has the highest figures of registered household employees in the EU, many of them female migrant workers. The paper focuses on how the domestic sector has grown in recent years along with mass migration flows. The growth of the household sector in Spain is situated within the context of the welfare and migration regimes. The household sector in Spain is currently absorbing a large part of the demand for childcare and elderly care provision. Although the domestic sector in Spain is more regulated than in many other countries, greater efforts to formalise and improve the labour and employment rights of household employees are needed to counterbalance occupational segregation and social inequality.

This paper explores understandings of gender equality within the context of work/family balance strategies embedded in the European Employment Strategy (EES). The article compares developments in childcare provision with parental leave drawing the conclusion that while increasing childcare provision is a clear priority for the European Employment Strategy, parental leave and other measures aimed at balancing time spent on paid work and unpaid care are not given equal concern. Work/family balance strategies are primarily intended to facilitate the engagement of young mothers in the labour market by offering public childcare provision; this is done at the cost of not exploring other more far-reaching and complex understandings of the work/family conflict.

Este artículo hace un recorrido a través de las políticas de igualdad en España, en relación con las políticas sociales, desde su origen, desarrollo, y desmantelamiento en un contexto de crisis económica. Las políticas de igualdad de género han tenido un desarrollo espectacular en España desde principios de la democracia. Se han institucionalizado gracias a la creación de organismos de igualdad en todos los niveles de gobierno, han diversificado sus instrumentos incluyendo planes, leyes y unidades de género, y han generado unos avances que desde 2004 hasta 2008 indicaban cierta consolidación. Sin embargo, el retroceso provocado por las políticas de 'austeridad' adoptadas a partir de 2008 en respuesta a la crisis económica ha mostrado una falta de priorización de las políticas de igualdad cuando estas entran en conflicto con otras prioridades económicas. En este contexto, a pesar de la movilización de la sociedad civil, las políticas de igualdad en España tienen por delante un camino tremendamente incierto. ; This article overviews gender equality policies in Spain, and their relation with social policies, from their origins, through their development and dismantlement in the economic crisis context. Gender equality policies have greatly developed in Spain from the beginnings of democracy. They have been institutionalized thanks to the creation of gender equality machinery at all governmental levels; they have diversified their instruments including plans, laws and gender units; and their progress from 2004 to 2008 indicated certain consolidation. However, the backlash provoked by austerity policies adopted in response to the economic crisis since 2008 have shown a lack of prioritization of equality policies when there are conflicting economic priorities. In this context, despite civil society's mobilizations, the future of gender equality policies in Spain looks extremely uncertain.

This article overviews gender equality policies in Spain, and their relation with social policies, from their origins, through their development and dismantlement in the economic crisis context. Gender equality policies have greatly developed in Spain from the beginnings of democracy. They have been institutionalized thanks to the creation of gender equality machinery at all governmental levels; they have diversified their instruments including plans, laws and gender units; and their progress from 2004 to 2008 indicated certain consolidation. However, the backlash provoked by austerity policies adopted in response to the economic crisis since 2008 have shown a lack of prioritization of equality policies when there are conflicting economic priorities. In this context, despite civil society's mobilizations, the future of gender equality policies in Spain looks extremely uncertain. ; Este artículo hace un recorrido através de las políticas de igualdad en España, en relación con las políticassociales, desde su origen, desarrollo, y desmantelamiento en un contexto decrisis económica. Las políticas de igualdad de género han tenido un desarrolloespectacular en España desde principios de la democracia. Se haninstitucionalizado gracias a la creación de organismos de igualdad en todos losniveles de gobierno, han diversificado sus instrumentos incluyendo planes,leyes y unidades de género, y han generado unos avances que desde 2004 hasta2008 indicaban cierta consolidación. Sin embargo, el retroceso provocado porlas políticas de 'austeridad' adoptadas a partir de 2008 en respuesta a lacrisis económica ha mostrado una falta de priorización de las políticas deigualdad cuando estas entran en conflicto con otras prioridades económicas. Eneste contexto, a pesar de la movilización de la sociedad civil, las políticas deigualdad en España tienen por delante un camino tremendamente incierto.

Italy and Spain are often labeled by the literature on comparative welfare as "familistic" welfare systems. Although it is not possible to find a unified criteria which defines and specifies what is meant by "familism" as a feature of a given welfare state model, generally speaking the term refers to the key role that the family plays in the overarching architecture of the welfare system, acting as the main provider of care and welfare for children and dependent individuals. This article will reflect on these questions by critically revising the framing of Southern European welfare states as "familistic" in the comparative welfare and care regimes literature. We will then look at trends of female labour force participation in Italy and Spain over the last two decades (1990-2010) in terms of the intensity of women's participation in the labour market and their prevailing pattern of participation for both countries. We will look at activity, employment and unemployment according to age, education level, civil status and number of children; and patterns of participation by looking at permanency in employment and type of contract (part-time/full-time and fixed-term). The idea here is to analyse the extent to which Italy and Spain have (or have not) made the transition from a 'male breadwinner model' (where women remain outside paid employment) towards a more diversified pattern of family formation with regards the labour market participation of women. The purpose will also be that of stressing divergences between these two countries in their evolution of their female labour force that may question their assumed similarities.