After decades of promoting work-family reconciliation with the aim of advancing gender equality, European Union (EU) discourses around work and family have been reframed. This article distinguishes three currently paramount discourses: The social investment approach, the transitional labor...

We investigate the decision-making process of having a first child, using theories on individualisation, lifestyle choices and negotiating partnerships as a starting point. We compare couples who had their first child at a relatively young age with those who had their first child at an older...

The Dutch child protection system has been the target of harsh criticism in recent decades. The legitimacy of child protection services seems to have eroded. In this article, we analyze this changing legitimacy of child protection against the background of declining parental authority and in...

In Europe, national states belonging to different welfare and caring regimes are experiencing tensions between labour market restructuring constraints and the caring responsibilities of the households. This book contributes to the analysis of these tensions by focusing on carers "under pressure"...