Abstract
Who cares for babies is an emotive topic that has challenged philanthropists, parents, policymakers, practitioners and researchers for decades. But as very young children’s care outside the family home becomes increasingly commodified and marketised in many countries of the world, moral arguments are often supplanted by others grounded in micro and macro-economic reasoning, using scientific evidence as justification. Attention then turns to a neoliberal preoccupation with affordability, accessibility and the structural dimensions of quality in provision for parents. Babies and their carers are positioned as service users and providers and the latter feel themselves to be subject to the impact of market forces and those for whom these provide the authority to dictate its conditions: politicians, regulators, employers and consumers (parents). This chapter considers how perceptions of power can influence the nature of relationships between babies and their carers. It is based on research carried out in private and state-maintained day nurseries in southeast England since 2008.
Zusammenfassung
Die Betreuung von Babys und Kleinkindern ist ein emotionsgeladenes Thema dessen sich seit Jahrzehnten Philanthropen, Eltern, Entscheidungsträger, Betreuer und Forscher annehmen. Da die Betreuung von Kleinkindern außerhalb der Familie in vielen Ländern immer mehr kommerzialisiert wird, rückt die moralische Auseinandersetzung oft in den Hintergrund und wird von einer mikro- und makroökonomischen Argumentation verdrängt, die sich über wissenschaftliche Erkenntnisse rechtfertigen will. Dadurch steht die neoliberale Sorge um die Finanzierbarkeit, Verfügbarkeit und die strukturellen Dimensionen der Angebotsqualität für Eltern im Vordergrund. Kleinkinder und ihre Betreuer werden zu Kunden und Dienstleistern, wobei die letzteren den Auswirkungen des dynamischen Marktes ausgesetzt sind und derer, welche die Macht haben, die Marktbedingungen zu diktieren: Politiker, Aufsichtsbehörden, Arbeitgeber und Kunden (Eltern). Dieses Kapitel geht der Frage nach, wie Macht und Machtausübung die Beziehung zwischen Kleinkindern und ihren Betreuern beeinflussen kann. Es gründet auf Forschungsarbeiten in privaten und staatlichen Kindertagesstätten im Südosten Englands im Jahr 2008.
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Powell, S., Goouch, K. (2016). Politics and power in the babycare business – Structural aspects of childcare provision. In: Maier-Höfer, C. (eds) Angewandte Kindheitswissenschaften – Applied Childhood Studies. Springer VS, Wiesbaden. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-08120-1_2
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