Framing comparisons: gendering perspectives on cross-national comparative research on work and welfare

This article critically reviews a range of analytical frameworks used in cross-national comparative employment and welfare state research. The approaches examined include the societal effect, varieties of capitalism, welfare state regimes and benchmarking approaches, and their feminist critiques.The article concludes by assessing the critical merits and implicit assumptions of using such frameworks to examine the differential impact of work and welfare for men and women in different societies.