Social and Family Policies in Italy: Not Totally Frozen but Far from Structural Reforms

This article analyses the main shifts in the political and public discourse about families, children, elderly people, care needs and women‐friendly policies in Italy over the last two decades. It shows that while family and gender relationships have become an ideologically highly charged public issu...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Social policy & administration 2008-12, Vol.42 (7), p.733-748
Main Authors: Naldini, Manuela, Saraceno, Chiara
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Central-local government relations
Elderly
Families & family life
Family Policy
Gender equality
Governance
Ideology
Inequality
Institutional reform
Italy
Migrants
Policy Reform
Public opinion
Sex equality
Social Policy
Social services
State-society relations
Welfare state
Women's rights
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Summary:This article analyses the main shifts in the political and public discourse about families, children, elderly people, care needs and women‐friendly policies in Italy over the last two decades. It shows that while family and gender relationships have become an ideologically highly charged public issue, policies at the practical level have remained largely stagnant, marginal and fragmentary. At the same time, important institutional changes (such as the constitutional reform of 2001, which introduced a form of federalism) have created new problems of governance. The authors argue that in the face of inadequate policies, the recourse of individuals and families to old (family solidarity) and new (migrant labour) solutions may cause new tensions and inequalities.
ISSN:0144-5596
1467-9515
DOI:10.1111/j.1467-9515.2008.00635.x