Concepts: Equality , in the sense of egalitarian goals

1. The Development of Public Childcare and Preschoolsin Europe – Path Dependencies and Change – Institutional Perspectivesat Hildesheim University, Germany, 19th – 21st October, 2006

2. Childcare as an issue of equality and equity – the Nordic countries as an examplePirkko-Liisa Rauhala, Dr. Habil., Privatdozentin, Universitätslektorin, Universität Helsinki, Finnland Concepts: Equality, in the sense of egalitarian goals according to class/social strata, gender, generation, regions etc. Equity , in the sense of conducting righteousness based on universalism (instead of labour market participation) what concerns social security, social citizenship, social inclusion

3. Childcare as an issue of equality and equity – the Nordic countries as an examplePirkko-Liisa Rauhala, University of Helsinki Five Nordic/Scandinavian countries: Denmark, 5 400 000 inhabitants Finland, 5 200 000 inhabitants Iceland, 290 500 inhabitants Norway, 4 600 000 inhabitants Sweden, 8 900 000 inhabitants + three autonomous regions: Aland (25 500), Faroe Islands (48 000), Greenland/Kalaallit Nunaat (57 000)

4. Childcare as an issue of equality and equity – the Nordic countries as an examplePirkko-Liisa Rauhala, University of Helsinki • four developments in the childcare policies: (Välimäki 1999, Välimäki & Rauhala 2000 & 2006) 1) traditional care within the agrarian household 2) educational-pedagogical care in the kindergarden-institution, since the end of 19th century; preschool included 3) social care-social service -based care in the daycare institutions based on the age of children (Krippe + Kindergarden) + complementary services for family care; parallel development with the former 4) state-municipality responsibility based daycare with a wide diversity of benefits and services available for parents; combining and modifying the 1-3 developments

5. Childcare as an issue of equality and equity – the Nordic countries as an examplePirkko-Liisa Rauhala, University of Helsinki Profound policy interests behind the childcare: - facilitating the everyday living of the families - building a nation with (high) educated citizens - getting the women’s labour force into the waged employment market - preventing the poverty of the families with women’s labour market participation & two salaries: dual-earner model; reconciling of work and family

6. Childcare as an issue of equality and equity – the Nordic countries as an examplePirkko-Liisa Rauhala, University of Helsinki • BUT NOT: • to favour division of work and family spheres • to be sensitive for difference(s); choices to manage the convergence of way of life (waged employment as a leading principle) are organised through care policies and services • to be sensitive for the childhood as a special phase, and children as stakeholders of their own lives

7. Childcare as an issue of equality and equity – the Nordic countries as an examplePirkko-Liisa Rauhala, University of Helsinki Nordic childcare policies –model: (Hiilamo 2004; Sipilä et al. 1997; Leira 2002; von Maydell et al. 2006) • universalism (equality: a very strong ideology in Scandinavia) • emphasized government responsibility for the well-being of families in the frame of advancing general equality: similar opportunities for family formation and in labour market • horizontal and vertical distribution of income in family policy (equality & equity; income transfers, benefits, allowances) • gender equality; women’s and men’s rights and obligations in labour market and in the family (equality & equity) • weak pronatalism (equity, respect for individual choice)

8. Childcare as an issue of equality and equity – the Nordic countries as an examplePirkko-Liisa Rauhala, University of Helsinki • Interpreting the Nordic development, 1 • from traditional childcare towards state-headed family-market-state –care contract & arrangements since the end of 19th century, and especially after the WWII: politicising childcare (Leira) • from mother’s obligations towards parental choices, especially in the care of the new-born children during their first year • from family’s own responsibility towards shared rights and obligations, within genders, too • refamilising the care of (under school-age) children through long parental leaves and by home care allowances in cash and time

9. Childcare as an issue of equality and equity – the Nordic countries as an examplePirkko-Liisa Rauhala, University of Helsinki • Interpreting the Nordic development, 2 • equality in access to institutional daycare guaranteed while the repertoire of the childcare choices is shifted towards individual decision-making – favouring the well-educated couples, both women and men, in maximising their opportunities to care arrengements with a good public support • equity is under a strong pressure in a situation where the family changes seem to have as an outcome a) poverty of single mothers and b) poverty of families in a weak labour market position, as well as c) poverty of immigrant families • low fertility rates increase the pressure towards care policies based on equality of children with different family background

10. Childcare as an issue of equality and equity – the Nordic countries as an examplePirkko-Liisa Rauhala, University of Helsinki • Interpreting the Nordic development, 3 • there is not any shift in the childcare policies according to the neo-liberalistic political economy; childcare in general has not been taken under re-consideration in the renewal of the social policy • in fact, the modifying and adjusting the childcare policies into the new economy has happened gradually and in a long-run, not as a rapid reaction; flexible development & outcome • individual choice has been emphazised since the 1960s, e.g. in the discussions concerning ”mother’s wage” • in fact, the childcare of under-school-age children has had the goal of effectiveness and efficiency, e.g. professional care, since its beginning

12. References • Bradshaw, Jonathan & Hatland, Aksel (eds): Social Policy, Employment and Family Change in Comparative Perspective. Cheltenham, UK & Northampton, MA, USA: Edward Elgar, 2006. • Hiilamo, Heikki: Changing family policy in Sweden and Finland during the 1990s. In: Matti Heikkilä & Mikko Kautto (eds): Welfare in Finland. Helsinki: STAKES, 2004, pp. 123-144. • Leira, Arnlaug: Working Parents and the Welfare State. Family Change and Policy Reform in Scandinavia. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002. • Von Maydell, Bernd & Borchardt, Katja & Henke, Klaus-Dirk & Leitner, Rupert & Muffels, Ruud & Quante, Michael & Rauhala, Pirkko-Liisa & Verschraegen, Gert & Zukowski, Maciej: Enabling Social Europe. Heidelberg & Nework: Springer, 2006. • Sipilä, Jorma (ed): Social Care Services: The Key to the Scandinavian Welfare Model. Aldershot: Avebury, 1997. • Välimäki, Anna-Leena & Rauhala, Pirkko-Liisa: Children’s day care yields to societal changes in Finland. Yhteiskuntapolitiikka 65 (2000): 387-405. [In Finnish, a referee article) • Nordisk Ministerråds Velferdsforskningsprogram. Programkomitéens sluttrapport. Köbenhavn: Nordisk Ministerråd, 2006. [In Swedish and in Norwegian]

13. Childcare as an issue of equality and equity – the Nordic countries as an examplePirkko-Liisa Rauhala, University of Helsinki