ABSTRACT
The history of the welfare state goes back to the beginning of the twentieth century, but the core components of the contemporary welfare state were put in place during the 1960s and 1970s. The conditions of family life are tightly coupled with the institutionalization of the welfare state. At present, the dual-earner family is well established and the parents share responsibility, workload, and caring for dependents with the welfare state. Family instability is extensive and the fastest growing family form is the single parent family. In addition, more and more families are reconstituted in new combinations. The household’s welfare and caring responsibilities are eased either through state or market provisions. This situation goes hand in hand with a social policy that renders women as autonomous individuals with shared responsibility for family income, or able to set up independent households.
