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Family Benefits and Family Policy in Selected European Countries

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  • Margit Schratzenstaller-Altzinger

Abstract

Family policies vary considerably, in their focus as much as in the instruments used, in Germany, France, the Netherlands, Sweden and Denmark, the countries selected for the analysis. Germany's traditional type of family policy was fundamentally rehauled in recent years in order to boost female employment and improve options to reconcile job and family. France pursues a pronatalist policy that aims to increase female employment as well as fertility rates. Family policy in the Netherlands promotes a secondary-earner model. In Sweden, the focus of family policy is on facilitating female employment by child-care facilities, on increasing fathers' involvement and on reducing poverty by way of generous money transfers. In Denmark, the emphasis is on encouraging parents to quickly return to work. More recent reforms, especially with regard to parental leave, reflect an intensifying effort to increase fathers' involvement in some countries. Another aspect is the pressure on family benefits exerted by the fiscal consolidation programmes implemented in most EU countries since the early 2010s.

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  • Margit Schratzenstaller-Altzinger, 2015. "Family Benefits and Family Policy in Selected European Countries," WIFO Bulletin, WIFO, vol. 20(15), pages 166-179, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:wfo:wblltn:y:2015:i:15:p:166-179
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Margit Schratzenstaller-Altzinger, 2015. "Family Benefits in Austria – An Overview," WIFO Bulletin, WIFO, vol. 20(14), pages 156-165, September.
    2. Margit Schratzenstaller-Altzinger, 2018. "Long-term Trends of Level and Structure of Family Benefits in Austria," WIFO Bulletin, WIFO, vol. 23(8), pages 62-74, July.

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