In this part, the focus is on the diverse forms of welfare state regulation of care work. In the framework of both case studies and cross-national comparisons, the contributions analyse modes of regulation and their consequences for gender relations, the lifestyle of families, and the labour market position/social integration of women. Nearly every European society is included.

Welfare-state policies affect all characterisations of care work: informal, semi-formal, as well as formal. The provision of public services with formal employment is therefore only one form of the welfarestate policies in this sector, for – as emphasised by Chapter Six – “the very essence of social care lies in … the care provided by family members and relatives”. On the basis of comprehensive studies, the chapters present the different new developments that have been developed in the course of the societal modernisation of the last few centuries for the support of families and the promotion of gender equality policies.