Description
Book SynopsisUnderstanding of welfare states has been much enriched by comparative work on welfare regimes and gender. This book uses these debates to illuminate the changing gender regimes in countries of Central and Eastern Europe. It has particular significance as countries in the region make the transition from communism and into a European Union that has issues of women's employment, work-life balance, and gender equality at the heart of its social policy. The analysis draws on quantitative comparative data, and on rich qualitative data from a new study of mothers in Polish households, illuminating the effects of changing welfare and gender relations from the perspective of those most directly affected - mothers of young children. This book is an important addition to the literature and is recommended to academics and students interested in the study of gender relations, welfare states, and international and comparative European social policy. The insights gained will also be of value to those engaged in welfare policy and practice.
Trade Review"The authors skillfully combine quantitative and qualitative data and the book successfully shows that gender-based typologies of welfare regimes can be used to compare Central, Eastern and Western European countries." Journal of Social Policy
"An innovative yet undogmatic book that summarises the emergent gender regimes of two regions with unprecedented changes. Written by leading experts in the field, it is a highly authoritative account." Andrea Peto, Department of Gender Studies, Central European University, Hungary
Table of ContentsContents: Introduction: gender and the family under communism and after; Gender regimes in Central and Eastern Europe; Policy and parents in Poland; Mothers and the state; Mothers and their households; Mothers and social policy; Gender equality in the wider Europe; Conclusion.
