The impact of policies on the division of labour : A new approach

There are considerable differences between most European countries in respect both of the division of labour within families and the policies that seek to influence that division. These policies are based, implicitly or explicitly, on assumptions about what constitutes an effective policy measure. However, little is known about how to measure the effects of such policies on the division of labour. Moreover, the emergence of a supranational political entity, i.e. the European Union, requires a new approach to the evaluation of national policies. In this article, the authors put forward a theoretical framework to be used in an international study of the effects of policies on the division of paid and unpaid work in EU member states. This proposed framework will be empirically tested in a research project to be conducted in the next few years by members of a European network of social scientists who have been working together since 1995.