Introduction

Since most children spend more time with their mothers than with their fathers, it is in practice more often women than men who arrange alternative care outside the nuclear family. Sharing care has specific implications since it is the mirror image of parental care. This chapter examines briefly what previous research has revealed about the nature of shared care. That is followed by a brief sketch of the main issues involved in relevant social policy discussions. Government policy in the day care field has been affected by a number of demographic, economic and social factors. These have operated in association or in conflict with ideas about the nature of children, the family and state intervention. Day care research has virtually ignored fathers. Whilst most care is done by mothers and they often arrange specific external sharing, fathers may affect broader decisions about their wives’ work or their children’s care arrangements.