Organized by Ieva Zumbyte and Dorota Szelewa from University College Dublin, the mini conference “Welfare States and Gender Inequality: Regional and Global Perspectives” took place on the 28th of June as part of the SASE General Conference 2024. This event delved into how welfare states across the globe influenced gender equality through policymaking, highlighting barriers, drivers, and outcomes.
The mini-conference focused on several key themes, including the evolution of welfare states in addressing gender inequalities, strategies to promote gender-equal caregiving, global trends and regional differences in policy development, and the challenges and obstacles to progressive gender equality policies. It also explored responses to these challenges and the role of various stakeholders in shaping gender equality policies.
Research from OECD countries indicated that while welfare states have supported women’s labour market participation through subsidized childcare and paid parental leave, they have not equally encouraged men to engage in caregiving roles. This often-benefited socio-economically advantaged women more than others. In the European Union, the 2019 Work-Life Balance Directive aimed to promote gender equality, but its implementation varied across member states due to differing institutional and cultural factors.
In contrast, low- and middle-income countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America faced challenges such as weaker state capacity and higher labor market informality. These countries often relied on informal networks for caregiving, which recent social protection policies tended to reinforce rather than reform.
The conference aimed to compare these diverse experiences and address key questions:
- The evolution of welfare states in addressing gender inequalities.
- Strategies to promote gender-equal caregiving.
- Global trends and regional differences in policy development.
- Challenges and obstacles to progressive gender equality policies.
- Responses to these challenges and the role of various stakeholders in shaping gender equality policies.
The event encouraged contributions that filled knowledge gaps, especially regarding gender inequalities in the Global South, and discussed the applicability of Western concepts to these regions.
