Women, Employment and Family Life: A Comparative Study on Spanish and Italian Reconciliation Policies

This paper compares Spanish and Italian welfare policies, evaluating their ability to better facilitate women’s reconciliation of work and family life. In doing so, it considers the gender roles and gender divisions of labor inherent in legislation and welfare reforms. While much of the literature assumes the welfare states of Spain and Italy to be similar (i.e., by classifying them under the Southern European welfare model), this paper exemplifies their actual differences. It qualitatively addresses new social, demographic, and economic changes and challenges in Spain and Italy. Using data primarily collected from OECD, Eurostat, INE, and ISTAT, a secondary data analysis is performed on recent social situations and reconciliation policies. In particular, this paper analyzes the extent of provision that these welfare states offer women to combine paid and unpaid work, using reconciliation measures including social protection, taxation, part-time employment, leave arrangements, child care, and professional care for the elderly. Results show that Italy and Spain comply, however minimally, with EU directives on family and reconciliation policies. These inadequate policies are catching up with the welfare states of both Spain and Italy in the form of low fertility rates and population ageing. Thus, it is urgent that they recalibrate their family and labor market polices towards better support of women and their reconciliation of employment and family life