Social and gender inequalities in care: childcare-related policies and parenting practices in the post-Yugoslav countries and the role of policy ideas

Project Information

INCARE

Grant agreement ID: 786826

DOI

10.3030/786826

Project closed

EC signature date 4 April 2018

Start date 1 October 2018

End date 2 March 2021

Funded under

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Total cost

€ 195 454,80

EU contribution

€ 195 454,80

Coordinated by

THE CHANCELLOR, MASTERS AND SCHOLARS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD
United Kingdom

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - INCARE (Social and gender inequalities in care: childcare-related policies and parenting practices in the post-Yugoslav countries and the role of policy ideas)

Reporting period: 2018-10-01 to 2020-09-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

This project aimed to enhance the understanding of social and gender inequalities in access and usage of the childcare-related leaves and services by comparatively examining how the EU social investment agenda interacts with nation-specific ideas and preferences in selected post-Yugoslav countries (PYCs; covering Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia), (re)shapes their policy priorities and childcare-related reforms, and affects gender and social inequalities in access and usage of childcare-related leaves and services. More specifically, the project explored (1) the current state and development of childcare-related policies in PYCs; (2) the inequality dynamic and priorities of childcare policies in the PYC; and 3) the implications of childcare policies in PYCs on work-care practices of parents with weak entitlement to childcare-related leaves and services. The focus was on two main policy instruments – parental leave policies (maternity, paternity and parental leave) and early childhood education and care services (ECEC). The examination of the PYCs was particularly illuminating as policy shifts in the last three decades occasioned frequent changes in entitlement and redistribution among various groups of parents and mothers and fathers.
This project is the first systematic comparative study on the PYC childcare policies development, focusing on 1945-2020 policy developments and situating them within the European comparative context, and strengthening the body of literature in comparative family policy with this region as the focus. It added a new body of empirical evidence to the fields of comparative family policy and of gender and social inequalities studies, and addressed evidence gaps for policymaking at the EU and national levels.
The main results of this project were widely disseminated, targeting various audience. Results were presented at ten academic conferences, workshops or invited talks, as well as at the webinar and workshop organised within the project. They were also communicated and utilised at five policy events (e.g. panels organised by the European Commission) and four media appearances in Croatia. Three academic articles were published (an additional one is under revision), two policy/research reports, two policy briefs and factsheets for parents with information on their parenting-related leave rights.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

The research built on (1) data collected based on the in-depth analysis of legislation in PYCs in the 1945–2020 period; (2) 18 expert interviews (Croatia and Serbia) and (3) 35 interviews with parents of nursery-age children (1–3 years) in atypical and/or unstable employment (Croatia and Serbia). The results show that the remit of social investment ideas and policies remains weak in most PYCs. It also showed that PYCs differ from other European socialist countries in childcare policy development paths. PYCs did not rely on prolonged maternity/childcare leaves and have invested less in ECEC services. Also, there is a great variety in policy development and design among the PYCs, with some countries relying on explicit pronatalist measures aiming to withdraw (some) women from the labour market (e.g. Croatia and Serbia). In all the countries except Slovenia, ECEC services remained underdeveloped while parenting leaves remained primarily directed towards mothers, having a weak potential to mitigate gender inequalities in employment and care. Moreover, in some PYCs, the ECEC affordability mechanisms weakened while eligibility criteria for paid maternity/parental leaves became stricter, opening a space to increase social inequalities in employment and care. Parents (i.e. mothers) in precarious jobs, ‘new’ migrants, and those living in less developed areas were the most affected. Parents’ interviews showed that parents (i.e. mothers) in precarious employment face many obstacles in exercising fundamental parental rights and face a risk of (in-work) poverty, particularly in countries that built their systems on social insurance principles guided by ‘typical adult-worker’. The interrelationship between the childcare policy design and parents’ (mothers’) position in the labour market makes it difficult for them to access and use paid leaves and/or ECEC services. An additional challenge is the mothers’ precarious position in the labour market itself and the burden of the traditional distribution of care and housework. Exposure to discriminatory labour market practices and childcare policies – which concentrate a care ‘burden’ on mothers and are slowly accommodating to the growing heterogeneity in employment patterns – limits parents’ (i.e. mothers) ability to engage in employment and care.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The project provided the first systematic and comprehensive study of childcare policy developments in the PYCs from a comparative perspective (1945-2020). With a focus on a group of countries that were typically absent from the comparative databases and literature, the project adds a new body of empirical evidence to comparative family policy and gender and social inequalities studies. It also addressed a conceptual ‘vacuum’ in understanding the complexity of family policymaking and gender and social inequalities by 1) enriching an ongoing debate on a need to provide a more nuanced view in (in)equality aspects of childcare policy developments and expose less visible reforms and therefore more ‘silent’ cleavages embedded in childcare policy design; 2) tackling the topic of multiple and intertwined inequalities in childcare; and 3) tackling the literature gap related to the real-world consequences and implications of childcare policies – actual work-care practices and experiences in different social contexts.
Finally, the project carries tangible policy implications. It provides the needed evidence-base with concrete policy recommendations for policymakers in the PYCs, informing them about the state-of-the-art of childcare policies in the region and implications different approaches may have for various groups of parents and their ability to engage in care and employment. In-depth research conducted in Croatia and Serbia also has a strong potential to ‘dispel’ certain ‘myths’ about the pronatalist policies having a prominent place on these two countries’ political agenda. It also has the potential to address the policymaking at the EU level, informing EU policymakers about different and regionally contextualised models of childcare policies in the PYCs, and their readiness and potential to follow the European agenda. This is especially relevant in the context of recent policy developments at the EU level – the European Pillar of Social Rights and its commitment to guarantee children a right to childcare and a right to be protected from poverty. This study provides empirical evidence on the implications the employment-oriented European agenda may have on social and gender inequalities in care, particularly in contexts marked by high job uncertainty and weak employment opportunities (especially for mothers), stressing a need to create and support policy initiatives able to address the growing heterogeneity and destandardization of the life course.

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