ABSTRACT
This chapter presents an overview of the current care policies of the 28 EU Member States, focusing on leave entitlements and childcare services. Despite the emphasis on increasing female labor supply and the common trend toward a higher female employment rate, the actual care policies vary substantially across the EU countries. Redesigning the welfare state to support the adult-worker model requires a redesign of the tax system as well as family and care policies, and more flexible work schedules. The chapter focuses on care policies—namely, leave entitlements and childcare services. In the Netherlands most of the childcare is on a part-time basis. Similarly, in Spain, Malta, Greece, Austria, and Romania childcare services are mostly utilized for less than 30 hours. High-waged (highly educated) women are more likely to use daycare services as the opportunity cost of being a full-time caregiver is higher for them compared to their low-waged counterparts.
