Perceived as a somewhat weakened institution, or at least as an institution worthy of state support, the family has emerged as a major issue on the political agenda of governments in industrialized countries in recent years. Questions of how best to support families with children, working parents, lone-parents, and families in need have been given increasing attention.

Talk of family-friendly policies has been recurrent on the political scene, and has been accompanied by a renewed commitment on the part of governments to support families. Yet, what is today referred to as family policy differs widely from the first forms of government support before the Second World War.

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Based on an original analysis of qualitative and quantitative material from twenty-two industrialized countries, this book traces the development of state support for families since the turn of the century. Assembling elements from demography, sociology, and economics, it argues that demographic changes have been a major force in bringing population and family issues on to the political agenda.

The decline in fertility, the increase in divorce rates and lone-parenthood, and the entry of women into the labour force have all reduced the relevance of systems of state support aimed at traditional male breadwinner-housewife families, and in so doing have forced governments to reform the existing measures of family support. However, the exact nature of these reforms, and the ways family policy has evolved over time, differ considerably across countries.

1. This comparative analysis of the trends and nature of state support for families is addressed to students, scholars, practitioners, and policymakers interested in family issues and their political dimension.