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Family Policy and the Organisation of Childcare pp 259–277Cite as

Palgrave Macmillan

Conclusion: Theorising Childcare Decisions

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Abstract

The concluding chapter revisits the theoretical model building on the hierarchies of care ideals concept, formulated in Chapter 4 and empirically illustrated in Chapters 5–7. The discussion then proceeds to outlining the main conceptual contributions of the volume, revisiting the empirical findings that underpin these. The chapter reiterates the various rationales that warrant the study of the organisation of childcare and the making of childcare decisions as objects of analysis in their own right. It also reiterates the analytical distinction between mothers’ work-care decisions and families’ childcare decisions. It restates the familial, negotiated character of childcare decisions and, not least, emphasises the argument that family policies matter in different ways and to different extents to different families. Finally, the chapter reiterates the crucial relevance of structural labour market conditions for post-partum maternal employment.

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  1. Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark

    Borbála Kovács

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  1. Borbála Kovács
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Correspondence to Borbála Kovács .

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Kovács, B. (2018). Conclusion: Theorising Childcare Decisions. In: Family Policy and the Organisation of Childcare. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-78661-2_9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-78661-2_9

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-78660-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-78661-2

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