Explaining patterns of inequality in childcare service use across 31 developed economies: A welfare state perspective

Abstract

Childcare services are increasingly regarded a major policy lever to combat social inequalities in early life. Yet, it was shown that inequality in the use of childcare services is the norm rather than the exception in European and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. As a result, social inequalities between disadvantaged and advantaged children are likely to be reinforced instead of being narrowed. The aim of this article is to conduct a macro-level analysis exploring which welfare state characteristics are associated with inequality in childcare use. We find that government involvement in the availability, affordability and quality of service provision is related to lower levels of inequality in childcare use. The results also suggest an impact of labour market opportunities and parental leave schemes. The findings contribute to a proper understanding of the institutional mechanisms underlying inequality in childcare service use.

Proportionate universalism in child and family social work

“…Universalist services, on the other hand, imply that every citizen should have access to the existing services. However, universal services often face the problem of non‐take‐up, meaning that those who may need it most have less access to it, a phenomenon better known in child and family social work as the Matthew effect (Van Lancker & Ghysels, ).…”

Childcare policies and services in Hong Kong after the handover: Beyond a feminist critique

“…The childcare issue pertains not only to children's well‐being and development, but also to family well‐being and general societal issues such as gender equality, social equality, and the sustainable development of society in face of the accelerating aging population. Potential benefits of proper childcare for children include enhancing human capital that leads to better learning outcomes and school readiness in the short run and better social and labor force prospects in the long run, especially for those from low‐income families (Van Lancker & Ghysels, ). Besides, the availability of quality childcare services has become a critical factor influencing young couples' decisions to have or not have children nowadays because of the high cost of childcare for the mother and the family in many developed regions (Begall & Mills, ).…”

“…The provision of an appropriate childcare service may increase maternal employment, which in turn promotes the social economic status of women and their families (Korsvik, ). Investing in childcare and family‐friendly policies has also been considered and practiced as the most promising strategy to combat the challenges brought by population aging (Van Lancker & Ghysels, ).…”

“…Analysis at the macro‐level was usually drawn from comparative policy studies with a welfare state perspective that focused on analyzing the relationships among the state, the market, and the family. Van Lancker and Ghysels () adopted such a framework with incorporation of a feminist perspective, derived three sets of welfare state characteristics (universalism, the state‐market mix, and defeminization) and operationalized them into relevant childcare policies and services, and then examined the patterns of inequality in childcare service use across 31 developed economies. Childcare use equality at the country level was found to be significantly associated with the organization of leave schemes (i.e., appropriate length of leave and well‐paid childbirth leave), government provision of childcare service (including legal entitlement and government spending on and the supply of services), and the service affordability and quality.…”

“…The effect of cultural factors on the equality of childcare use is critical; the conservative norms of motherhood were positively correlated with levels of informal care with the inequality of childcare use (Van Lancker & Ghysels, ). Cultural discourses regarding gender role expectations and motherhood could be the cause or the effect of social policy development and were also associated with a family's decision regarding childcare arrangements and the unequal use of childcare as well as the participation of women in the labor force (Steiber & Hass, ).…”