Gender and European welfare states: Context, structure and agency

The way in which the welfare state affects the position of women is a highly contested issue, as the perception of causes and effects varies with the theoretical viewpoint from where observations and interpretations take place. For example, theories ofpatriarchy (Walby 1990, 1994) argue that the welfare state is an instrument used by men for the oppression of women, while the empowerment hypothesis (Hernes 1987; Siim 1994a), on the other hand, argues that welfare state institutions may pave the way for the improvement of women’s lot as workers, mothers and citizens. Such controversies as to how the welfare state is conferred with meaning have intensified in recent years, not least as a result of the paradigmatic shift from ‘modernity’ to ‘postmodernity’, and from ‘feminism’ to ‘post-feminism’ (Brooks 1997).