"The idea of comparing several countries with respect to how well they support working parents occurred to me at a point in my life when I was immersed in establishing an academic career and raising three small children. Because my children were born before I had tenure, I got to experience how parents manage to find and pay for childcare on a shoestring budget, and to do so in both Japan and the United States. The experience ignited my desire to understand why some countries are more willing and able to support working parents than others"-- Provided by publisher. "The work-family policies of Sweden and France are often held up as models for other nations to follow, yet political structures and resources can present obstacles to fundamental change that must be taken into account. Patricia Boling argues that we need to think realistically about how to create political and policy change in this vital area. She evaluates policy approaches in the US, France, Germany and Japan, analyzing their policy histories, power resources, and political institutions to explain their approaches, and to propose realistic trajectories toward change. Arguing that much of the story lies in the way that job markets are structured, Boling shows that when women have reasonable chances of resuming their careers after giving birth, they are more likely to have children than in countries where even brief breaks put an end to a career, or where motherhood restricts them to part-time work"-- Provided by publisher.
Includes bibliographical references and index.