Gender and welfare state change1

Abstract

This paper suggests first, that in the recent literature on welfare states, while family change has received considerable attention, the issue of gender equality has not. Second, it examines the nature of welfare state change, in particular the recasting of the work/welfare relationship, focusing on the UK in comparative perspective. Building on Peter Hall's (1993) framework, the paper argues that the policy developments associated with the new work/welfare relationship represent very different levels of change in different countries. Nevertheless, from a gender perspective, it is argued that the changes amount to a modification of the masculinist model of work and welfare and its generalization to women. This has profound (and sometimes ambiguous) implications for women's role as unpaid carers. Finally, the paper suggests that a gender-centred model of welfare state change highlights the need to develop policies that value and redistribute care work, and in particular that address the issue of time.