Gender Equality in the Welfare State?

The construction of welfare states during the postwar era relied upon many assumptions about gender differences. Originally placing men as breadwinners and women as caregivers, these states have attempted to rebalance gender roles in their programs over the decades. In Gender Equality in the Welfare State? Gillian Pascall questions how successful they have been. Analyzing the male breadwinner model as it operates in the central areas of care, work, time, income, and power, she provides a framework for understanding the policies and practices that have worked toward gender equality. Contextualizing national policies and debates within data and analysis, she offers a new and important approach to an issue of wide concern.