Erosion of the boundaries between formal and informal work in European welfare states

Paper for presentation at the RECWOWE Doctoral Workshop “Work, care and well-being: public and private arrangements”STAKES, Helsinki, September 16-17, 2008

Chair on Social Structure Analyses, Institute of SociologyDirector, Centre of Globalisation and GovernanceUniversity of Hamburg

Birgit Pfau-Effinger

central questions

What are the general trends in the development towards new forms of care work in Europe?

Why are there cross-national differences in relation to the use of new forms of care work?

Prof. Dr. Birgit Pfau-Effinger, Chair on Social Structure Analyses, Institute for Sociology, University of Hamburg

Working Group „Gender Issues/Social Services“:COST A13 Action Programme of the EU and European Science Foundation: ‚Change of Labour Markets, Welfare States and Citizenship‘ (Co-ordinator) (Pfau-Effinger/Geissler 2005)

Research project in the 5th EU Framework Programme Formal and Informal Work in Europe. A Comparative Analysis of their Changing Relationship and their Impact on Social Integration‘ (FIWE) with research teams in six countries: Finland, Denmark, Germany, UK, Poland, Spain (Co-ordinator) (Pfau-Effinger/Flaquer/Jensen 2009)

Research project of the German Research Foundation (DFG) ‚Local policies towards elderly care in a comparative perspective‘ (Chair)

research basis

Prof. Dr. Birgit Pfau-Effinger, Chair on Social Structure Analyses, Institute for Sociology, University of Hamburg

1. Problems of the ‚old‘, dual concept of care work 2. Towards a multi-dimensional approach to analyses of the

structures of care work 3. Analysing and explaining cross-national differences in the

use of new forms of care work 4. Conclusions

structure of the presentation

Prof. Dr. Birgit Pfau-Effinger, Chair on Social Structure Analyses, Institute for Sociology, University of Hamburg

1. Problems of the ‚old‘, dual concept of care work

Prof. Dr. Birgit Pfau-Effinger, Chair on Social Structure Analyses, Institute for Sociology, University of Hamburg

the ‚old‘, dual concept of care work

Feminist theory: dichotomies with regard to care like public - private, formal – informal; unpaid family work - paid gainful employment.

Formal and informal care work often construed as opposites.

Formalised forms of care characterised as a modern and women-friendly form of social integration, informal care as backwardness and social marginalisation of women (see also Cousins 1998).

Prof. Dr. Birgit Pfau-Effinger, Chair on Social Structure Analyses, Institute for Sociology, University of Hamburg

problems of the concept

neglects change within informal care work neglects change that leads two an erosion of the

boundaries between formal and informal care work

Prof. Dr. Birgit Pfau-Effinger, Chair on Social Structure Analyses, Institute for Sociology, University of Hamburg

new concepts for analyses of family policies and care

de-familisation (Esping-Andersen 1996; Lister 1998) commodification (Ungerson 2005; Ostner/Knijn 2005)

problems often focus on mainly one dimension of care work: inside-

outside family, or paid-unpaid work do not really overcome the restrictions of the old dichotomy

Prof. Dr. Birgit Pfau-Effinger, Chair on Social Structure Analyses, Institute for Sociology, University of Hamburg

main assumptions

development of different new forms of care work in European societies

erosion of the boundaries between formal and informal care work

Prof. Dr. Birgit Pfau-Effinger, Chair on Social Structure Analyses, Institute for Sociology, University of Hamburg

2. Towards a multi-dimensional approach to analyses of the structures of care work

Prof. Dr. Birgit Pfau-Effinger, Chair on Social Structure Analyses, Institute for Sociology, University of Hamburg

analytical framework: five dimensions of change of care work

type of workers by which care work is provided societal sphere in which care work is provided degree of formality of care work (‚formal‘ means that it is

regulated in a legal framework) Informal care work: not regulated in a legal frameworksemi-formal care work: regulated on the basis of

welfare state schemes (Pfau-Effinger 2005; Geissler/Pfau-Effinger 2005)

Formal care work is regulated on the basis of legislation relating to formal emplyment

degree and type of payment gender composition of care work

Prof. Dr. Birgit Pfau-Effinger, Chair on Social Structure Analyses, Institute for Sociology, University of Hamburg

main trends in relation to these dimensions – western Europe

type of workers Increase in professional and non-professional employees outside the

family, and hired employees within the private household societal sphere

Outsourcing of care work, mainly to state organisations, otherwise non-profit organisations, moderately to market enterprises (Pfau-Effinger et al. 2008)

degree of formality Increase in formal forms of care work (Anttonen/Sipilä 2005;

Theobald 2005, OECD 2002), in semi-formal forms and in paid informal care work in most West European countries, some opposite trends in elderly care for ex. in Sweden (Szebehely 2008).

pay Increase in different forms of paid care work, either by forms of pay

to caring family members, or to employees within or outside the family (Ungerson 2005),

gender composition moderate increase in the contribution of men to informal and semi-

formal care.

Prof. Dr. Birgit Pfau-Effinger, Chair on Social Structure Analyses, Institute for Sociology, University of Hamburg

Table 1: Trend towards (mainly) three new forms of care work 1970s until 2007

unpaid   paid  

formal   Formal care work in gainful employment outside (and inside) the family (Anttonen/Sipilä 2005; Rostgaard 2005; Theobald 2005, OECD 2002)

Semi-formal family care work on the basis of welfare state programmes-with increase in share of men (Geissler/Pfau-Effiger 2005; Eydal 2005; Hobson 2004)

Informal, paid care work by employees (‚undeclared work‘) in the private household (Hillmann 2005; Pfau-Effinger 2009)   

Informal Historical starting point in West European Societies: Informal unpaid family care by women

  

 

   

main factors explaining the development of the new forms – socio-economic and cultural change

increase in women‘s labour force participation development trend of cultural family models towards

‚dual breadwinner‘ models debate about ‚greying of society‘ societal recognition of family childcare and family based

elderly care as ‚work‘ Cultural ideas introduced by international organisations

Prof. Dr. Birgit Pfau-Effinger, Chair on Social Structure Analyses, Institute for Sociology, University of Hamburg

main factors explaining the development of the new forms – policy change

welfare state policies establishing new social rights related to care (Knijn/Kremer 1997) social right to receive care social right to give care

public provision of childcare or elderly care in part not matching the demand

EU policies

Prof. Dr. Birgit Pfau-Effinger, Chair on Social Structure Analyses, Institute for Sociology, University of Hamburg

3. Analysing and explaining cross-national differences in the use of new forms of care

work

Prof. Dr. Birgit Pfau-Effinger, Chair on Social Structure Analyses, Institute for Sociology, University of Hamburg

problem: in part missing data base regarding ...

cross-national data about the employment status of people who provide family care

possibility to differentiate between informal unpaid and semi-formal paid family care

information about relationship of social rights to receive care and real take-up rates

Distinguish share of undeclared work in private households for cleaning and for care work

differentiated attitude data in relation to cultural values and cultural family models

Prof. Dr. Birgit Pfau-Effinger, Chair on Social Structure Analyses, Institute for Sociology, University of Hamburg

Table 2: New forms of care work in western European societies

New forms of care work

High Medium Low

Formal care work

DenmarkFinlandFranceEast Germany

West GermanyAustriaNorway

 

Great BritainSpain

Trend: increase

Semi-formal care work

AustriaWest Germany

NorwayFrance

DenmarkFinlandGreat BritainSpainEast Germany

Undeclared care employment

Spain Great BritainWest GermanyAustria

DenmarkEast GermanyFinlandFrance Norway

Prof. Dr. Birgit Pfau-Effinger, Chair on Social Structure Analyses, Institute for Sociology, University of Hamburg

assumptions regarding factors that substantially contribute to explaining cross-national differences

the quality of social rights related to care the importance given to parental care in the dominant

cultural family model/s and their interplay in the societal care arrangement/s

Prof. Dr. Birgit Pfau-Effinger, Chair on Social Structure Analyses, Institute for Sociology, University of Hamburg

Cultural system Cultural values related to care,

clustered to ‚family models‘

 

collective/Primary actors

-Power relations-Discourse-Negotiation-conflicts

Structures of care work

welfare state policies

towards care•Social rights to receive care•Social rights to give care

Social system

-        Central institutions •Welfare state•Family      Economy Labour Market •Non-profit sector •...-           

Social structures  Social inequality Gender inequality Division of labour Power relations

Transnational diffusion of ideas and supranational policy level Zentrale gesell- schaftliche Institutionen

 

Ideas

Inte-rests

Graph 1: Explanation of the structures of care work in the contextof the societal ‚care arrangement‘

An arrangement is negotiated, it can be contradictory and contested and subject of change.

definition – culture, cultural family models

culture: constructions of sense to which people orient in their behaviour, it includes values, models and stocks of knowledge (Neidhard 1992; Lepsius 1990; Archer 1995)

cultural family models: basic ideas in a society which are related to the family and childcare

relatonship of the family with the employment system

the adequate societal sphere for childcare gender division of labour dependency/autonomy in the gender relations

Prof. Dr. Birgit Pfau-Effinger, Chair on Social Structure Analyses, Institute for Sociology, University of Hamburg

Table 3: Degree of appreciation of parental care in different types of cultural family models

Cultural family models Degree of importance given to parental care

traditional family models (until middle of 20th Century)

family economy model relatively low

male breadwinner/female housewife model

relatively high

family models of post industrial society (since 1980s/1990s)

male breadwinner/female part-time carer model

relatively high

dual part-time breadwinner/dual part-time carer model

relatively high

dual breadwinner/external care model relatively low

dual breadwinner/extended family care model

relatively low

Prof. Dr. Birgit Pfau-Effinger, Chair on Social Structure Analyses, Institute for Sociology, University of Hamburg

definition – social rights

social rights – rights of the citizens in relation to the welfare state (Marshall 1962)

social rights related to care (Knijn/Kremer 1997)

social rights to receive care social rights to give care

Quality of social rights related to care – indicators

degree to which they are universal degree to which individual rights of those in need of care

exist generosity of benefits degree of financial autonomy of the family caregiver (versus

dependency from male breadwinner)

Prof. Dr. Birgit Pfau-Effinger, Chair on Social Structure Analyses, Institute for Sociology, University of Hamburg

dominant type of family model in the population

welfare states with high quality of social rights related to care work

welfare states with medium quality of social rights related to care work*

welfare states with low quality of social rights related to care work

family models with relatively high appreciation of parental care

Mediumformal care worksemi-formal care work

LowInformal family careundeclared care work

(Norway)

HighSemi-formal care work

Medium: formal care work Informal family care undeclared care work(West Germany, Austria)

Mediuminformal parental careundeclared care workformal care work

Lowsemi-formal care work

(Great Britain)

family models with relatively low appreciation of parental care

Highformal care work

Low to mediumsemi-formal care work

Lowundeclared care workInformal family care (Denmark, Finland, France)

Highformal care work

Low to mediumsemi-formal care work

Lowundeclared care workInformal family care (East Germany)

Medium to highInformal parental careextended family care Undeclared work

Low (increase)formal care worksemi-formal care work(Spain)

Table 4: Main forms of care work in different care arrangements

4. conclusion

development of care work multi-dimensional process different new forms in European societies. blurring of the boundaries between formal and

informal care work

explanation of cross-national differences differences regarding the quality of social rights in

relation to care differences in relation to importance given to parental

care in the dominant cultural family models

Prof. Dr. Birgit Pfau-Effinger, Chair on Social Structure Analyses, Institute for Sociology, University of Hamburg

endmany thanks for your attention!