Challenges for future family policies in the Nordic countries

This anthology maps and analyses current trends within the area of family policy and outlines some possible challenges that the Nordic welfare states will soon be facing. Over several decades the Nordic welfare model has been characterised by the notion that children are not only the private responsibility of parents, but also a responsibility to be shared with society. Moreover, the Nordic welfare model goes hand-in-hand with the women’s movement by offering opportunities for women, as well as men, to also participate in education and employment. The question remains how more recent trends such as New Public Management principles and increased focus on children’s positions and rights affect family policies in the Nordic countries? The authors, who come from all five Nordic countries, discuss the following topics: issues related to family demographics, children’s position in society and the family, the children’s well-being, care policies in relation to both children and the elderly, reconciliation of work and family life, and policies related to gender equality. The anthology is one of several outputs from the recent Nordic research collaboration, Reassessing the Nordic Welfare Model, which began in 2007.