ABSTRACT
Some students of social policy dismiss claims of welfare-state retrenchment because there have been few clear instances of major cutbacks, and aggregate data reveal considerable continuity in spending on social security (Pierson 1996; Fligstein 1998). Yet, when viewed from a gender perspective, the effects of economic restructuring and budgetary austerity on the welfare state become more apparent. The evolution of French child care policy offers a useful window onto these processes. France has one of the strongest child care systems among the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) member states, yet a closer look reveals that welfare state and economic restructuring have taken their toll. Currently only 9 percent of children under the age of three have a place in one of the famed crèches, while 50 percent are cared for by a parent, usually their mother (see table 6.1). The rest are looked after by nannies or are in family child care (CNAF 1997a). State spending on collective child care has been surpassed by the amount now spent on individualized forms of care, such as nannies or family child care, revealing a weakening commitment to the traditional crèche. 1 After promoting women’s insertion in the labor market in the 1970s, both socialist and conservative governments have subsequently favored policies that encourage mothers’ exit from the labor force. New forms of service provision reflect the search for greater flexibility in service delivery to match the proliferation of atypical employment, such as part-time work or evening shifts. These trends have had important qualitative and quantitative effects on child care provision that aggregate spending data fail to capture. Percentage of French Children under 3 in Child Care
|
Crèches |
9% |
|
Licensed family child care |
13% |
|
Subsidized nannies |
2% |
|
Home |
50% |
|
Unknown |
26% |
