Gender, Family and Policy
International Perspectives
Published on 14. February 2025
Book
Hardback
292 pages
978-1-80220-554-1 (ISBN)
Description
In this prescient book Sirin Sung brings together an array of expert contributors to address questions about gender equality and its relation to family, the workplace and society as a whole.
Chapters examine the issues surrounding work-family balance across the globe, considering dual earning families, the division of domestic labour and the impact of family policies on the labour market. The heterogeneous outcomes of childcare policies on motherhood and fatherhood are studied across a range of settings and populations, dissecting the impact of policies such as state-funded childcare and paid parental leave. Contributing authors emphasise the importance of developing gender-equal policies to encourage men's involvement in care, combined with a shift in organisational culture to allow men to take parental leave, highlighting the crucial need to eradicate gender disparity in childcare and policy use.
Presenting a global perspective on gender norms and family policies, this book is invaluable for students and academics specialising in gender studies, family studies, social policy and sociology. Policymakers will also find the global comparison of family policies and gender beneficial.
Chapters examine the issues surrounding work-family balance across the globe, considering dual earning families, the division of domestic labour and the impact of family policies on the labour market. The heterogeneous outcomes of childcare policies on motherhood and fatherhood are studied across a range of settings and populations, dissecting the impact of policies such as state-funded childcare and paid parental leave. Contributing authors emphasise the importance of developing gender-equal policies to encourage men's involvement in care, combined with a shift in organisational culture to allow men to take parental leave, highlighting the crucial need to eradicate gender disparity in childcare and policy use.
Presenting a global perspective on gender norms and family policies, this book is invaluable for students and academics specialising in gender studies, family studies, social policy and sociology. Policymakers will also find the global comparison of family policies and gender beneficial.
Reviews / Votes
'Spanning four continents, this book provides new insights into understanding work-family balance policies and gender equality in a wide range of welfare systems. The focus on countries not usually discussed in comparative literature is very welcome, as is the section exploring the effects of policies during and after COVID. The discussion is timely and forward-looking.' -- Ruby Chau, University of Nottingham, UK 'This is an insightful and well-researched book providing a much-needed global perspective. It inspires hope that implementing gender egalitarian policies can make a difference to the lives of parents who need to make difficult choices in balancing the demands of work and family. A must-read for policy makers and researchers across the world!' -- Gordana Rabrenovic, Northeastern University, USA 'This book forensically examines the crucial topic of the gendered division of labour in paid and unpaid work, especially care for children, in a wide range of countries. It prompts us to think more deeply about the complex issues involved and the changes in both cultures and policies that could most successfully address these.' -- Fran Bennett, University of Oxford, UKMore details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Cheltenham
United Kingdom
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 156 mm
ISBN-13
978-1-80220-554-1 (9781802205541)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Edited by Sirin Sung, School of Social Sciences, Education and Social Work, Queen's University Belfast, UK
Content
Contents
1 Introduction: Gender, Family and Policy: International Perspectives 1
Sirin Sung
THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON WOMEN AND THE FAMILY
2 The gendered work-family interface and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the US 21
Maura J. Mills, Aditi Rabindra Sachdev and Lisa E. Baranik
3 Gender, family, and policy in the Netherlands: reconciling work and care for children in the 21st century 41
Mara A. Yerkes and Bram Peper
4 Gender, family policies and the gendered impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in Finland 59
Merita Mesiaeislehto, Milla Salin and Mia Hakovirta
WORK-FAMILY BALANCE POLICIES: THE IMPACT ON GENDER EQUALITY
5 Balancing work and family in policy and practice: coping strategies for Korean working mothers in dual-earner families 77
Sirin Sung
6 The gendered division of domestic labour in China: meanings, policies and practices 96
Yi Zhang
7 Japanese mothers' employment over the past three decades: interaction between work-family policies and labour market duality 111
Junko Nishimura
CHILDCARE, MOTHERHOOD AND FATHERHOOD: POLICY IMPLICATIONS
8 Reworking the Wagga Rug: how Australian retail workers make patchworks of care 131
Megan Blaxland and Natasha Cortis
9 Can work, can't work, won't work: how lone mothers in Northern Ireland justify their employment decisions 153
Madeleine Leonard and Grace Kelly
10 Gendered care of Australian Chinese disabled children and young people 172
Qian Fang, Karen R. Fisher and Xiaoran Wang
11 Towards socialising childcare in South Korea: the historical legacy of marketised childcare provision 190
Sung-Hee Lee
12 Is it a matter of economy? Why fathers in Sweden do not use parental leave 1994-2017 209
Ann-Zofie Duvander and Susanne Fahlen
13 US fathers' perceptions of parental leave: work interruptions and attitudes toward leave policies 239
Gayle Kaufman and Amanda R. Martinez
14 Conclusion: towards gender-egalitarian family policies 256
Sirin Sung
1 Introduction: Gender, Family and Policy: International Perspectives 1
Sirin Sung
THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON WOMEN AND THE FAMILY
2 The gendered work-family interface and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the US 21
Maura J. Mills, Aditi Rabindra Sachdev and Lisa E. Baranik
3 Gender, family, and policy in the Netherlands: reconciling work and care for children in the 21st century 41
Mara A. Yerkes and Bram Peper
4 Gender, family policies and the gendered impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in Finland 59
Merita Mesiaeislehto, Milla Salin and Mia Hakovirta
WORK-FAMILY BALANCE POLICIES: THE IMPACT ON GENDER EQUALITY
5 Balancing work and family in policy and practice: coping strategies for Korean working mothers in dual-earner families 77
Sirin Sung
6 The gendered division of domestic labour in China: meanings, policies and practices 96
Yi Zhang
7 Japanese mothers' employment over the past three decades: interaction between work-family policies and labour market duality 111
Junko Nishimura
CHILDCARE, MOTHERHOOD AND FATHERHOOD: POLICY IMPLICATIONS
8 Reworking the Wagga Rug: how Australian retail workers make patchworks of care 131
Megan Blaxland and Natasha Cortis
9 Can work, can't work, won't work: how lone mothers in Northern Ireland justify their employment decisions 153
Madeleine Leonard and Grace Kelly
10 Gendered care of Australian Chinese disabled children and young people 172
Qian Fang, Karen R. Fisher and Xiaoran Wang
11 Towards socialising childcare in South Korea: the historical legacy of marketised childcare provision 190
Sung-Hee Lee
12 Is it a matter of economy? Why fathers in Sweden do not use parental leave 1994-2017 209
Ann-Zofie Duvander and Susanne Fahlen
13 US fathers' perceptions of parental leave: work interruptions and attitudes toward leave policies 239
Gayle Kaufman and Amanda R. Martinez
14 Conclusion: towards gender-egalitarian family policies 256
Sirin Sung