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Mothers, Wives, and Workers

Explaining Gendered Dimensions of the Welfare State

University of Colorado, Boulder

Feminist criticism has uncovered significant differences in the approach of welfare states to women’s employment and the family not captured by more mainstream, class-based approaches. At the same time, a coherent explanation for gendered variation has been slow to develop. Exploring the French, German, and Swedish cases, this article develops a theory of welfare-state development that links the welfare state’s approach to women and the family to the state’s response to labor-market conditions during crucial periods of labor shortage. These three cases suggest a trade-off between the economy’s dependence on immigrant labor and the welfare state’s willingness to adapt to the specific interests of working mothers. This suggests a link between seemingly unrelated differences in immigration policy and the state’s support for working mothers.

Key Words: gender • welfare state • Germany • France • Sweden

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