Policy Press

Women, Welfare and Productivism in East Asia and Europe

By Ruby Chau and Sam Yu

Published

Jul 29, 2022

Page count

256 pages

Browse the series

Research in Comparative and Global Social Policy

ISBN

978-1447357711

Dimensions

234 x 156 mm

Imprint

Policy Press

Published

Jul 29, 2022

Page count

256 pages

Browse the series

Research in Comparative and Global Social Policy

ISBN

978-1447357735

Dimensions

Imprint

Policy Press

Published

Jul 29, 2022

Page count

256 pages

Browse the series

Research in Comparative and Global Social Policy

ISBN

978-1447357735

Dimensions

Imprint

Policy Press
Women, Welfare and Productivism in East Asia and Europe

Developing the new framework of ‘life-mix’, which considers the mixed patterns of caring and working in different periods of life, this book systematically explores the interplay of productivism, women, care and work in East Asia and Europe.

The book ranges across four key aspects of welfare — childcare, parental leave, employment support and pensions — to illustrate how policies affect women in various periods of their lives. Policy case studies from France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, South Korea, Sweden and the UK, show how welfare could support people’s caring and working lives. This book forms a prescient examination of how productivist thinking underpins regimes and impacts women’s welfare, care and work in both the East and West.

Ruby C. M. Chau is Associate Professor in Public and Social Policy at the University of Nottingham. She is interested in welfare mix, women and welfare, culturally sensitive health and social care.

Sam W. K. Yu is an independent researcher. His research focuses on welfare models, comparative social policy and East Asian welfare regimes.

1. Introduction

2. The theoretical foundation of the life-mix framework

3. East Asian welfare regimes

4. Policy case studies: childcare leave measures and ECEC

5. Policy case study: pension measures

6. Policy case study: ALMPs and alternatives

7. Women’s life- mixes: insights from two qualitative studies in Hong Kong

8. Creating favourable conditions for diverse life-mix preferences

9. New dimensions to contemporary welfare ideas

10. Conclusion