The book includes a collection of case studies of the development of child care policies over the past three decades in Belgium, France, Italy, Sweden and the European Union. Many countries have now designed policies to reconcile family and work. Some encourage parents to provide their own child care. Others encourage parents to stay at work by supporting child care services.
In "Who cares?" the contributors examine how public policy choices have been shaped by contemporary understandings of the gendered division of labour. They place specific childcare strategies within the larger context of state approaches to women's roles. They also argue that examining the form of social spending during the recent period when such spending has been under attack contributes to our understanding of new principles of citizenship developed and articulated by governments.