Welfare State 2

Question 1

Women in the Welfare State

Answer 1

• Working has been made easier (Daycare for children, service for elderly, …)

Question 2

The States role

Answer 2

• State friendly society
• Broad and dominant public participation in economic/social life (total amount spend on social security has increased)
• High commitment to equality of status to achieve solidarity
• Establishing/Maintaining high social standarts to sustain institutional kind of welfare
• Most Parties/Public support welfare state
• Full employment as overall goal

Question 3

Gender and gender equality

Answer 3

• Definition of genders constantly recreated
• Global Gender Index Nordic countries good
• Primarily aimed at labour market, embraces advertising practices, employement, equal pay, promotions, equality
• Allows preferntial treatment of underrepresented sex
• Three phases with goal of gender neutrality within family and society:
  1. Encouragement of women to join labour market
  2. Adressement of problems of unequal treatment
  3. Encouragement of men to take over their share of family work (Parental leave)

Question 4

Family in the Welfare State (Definition)

Answer 4

• Family has changed, not old gender roles anymore
• More different types of family (More couples without marriage, fewer children, more single parents, more births outside marriage)

Question 5

Family Support

Answer 5

• Support for dual-eraner families
• Possible to combine parttime work with leave over a longer period
• Institutional childcare: Access to childcare as social citizenship right
• Fathers Quota: Paid Leave that cannot be transferred to mother (After that , percentage of fathers taking parental leave increased dramatically)

Question 6

Challenges

Answer 6

• Ageing population
• Increasing relative poverty (especially some migrant groups)

Question 7

Welfare State Definition

Answer 7

• Citizens economic and social wellbeing to be secured by the government
• Government guarantees income maintenance and other support for citizens in case of occupational accidents, disease, old age, unemployment (safety net)
• Public assistance not to be limited and citizens that experience insecurity or financial need have right for support

Question 8

Social Rights

Answer 8

• Most have been developed on achievements of civil/political rights
• Foundation of welfare state in western Europe
  Three types:
• Civil Rights (Rights of individual, e.g. freedom of speech, religion, justice before law, …)
• Political Rights: Right to participate in exercise of politics/Rights to participate in elections and stand for public office
• Social Rights: Right of individual to enjoy a certain minimum standard of economic welfare and security

Question 9

Welfare State, Family and Labour Market

Answer 9

• Should be seen as overlapping spheres
• At intersection where life course and wellbeing for men and women is constituted
• Focus on interaction between paid and unpaid work and welfare (Conditions, Consequences, who does what)

Question 10

History of the Welfare State

Answer 10

• Became important after WW2
• All parties wanted to give state responsibility for social development (Joint Programme)
• State was to provide conditions neccessary for economic groth and improving standart of living
• Fighting unemploymen, equalizing living conditions