Action publique et rapports de genre

This article considers, on the one hand, how public policy shapes gender relations and, on the other, the extent to which gender is a basis for public policy. Based on a literature survey, we distinguished four issues: 1) the Welfare State is moving towards a new form of maternalism in public policy, which is compatible with support for female employment; 2) public policies are starting to take into account the care issue, but this is leading neither to a valorization of care activity nor to an increase in men?s involvement in these kinds of activities; 3) mainstreaming seems to be facilitating the dilution of gender equality in public policy, with a key issue being the preservation of gender benefits won in the past; and 4) public policies are confronted with the conflict between specific and integrated strategies, which is inherent to gender equality claiming. JEL classification codes: J78, Z13, H0.