At the international conference of the IPEO platform organized by the Bolzano-based association AFB - Arbeiter, Freizeit- und Bildungsverein in cooperation with the European Centre for Workers' Questions - EZA and financed by the European Union, more than 45 participants from South Tyrol/Italy, Germany, Austria, Lithuania, Serbia and Belgium dealt with the topic "Family policy as a key instrument of social development" addressing the concepts of family policies and gender equality issues. The conference took place at the Cusanus Academy in Bressanone/Brixen (I) from 14 to 15 September 2023.
Experts from a variety of countries shed light on the family as a private mutual aid society, a social lab where one receives support and can learn and foregrounded the fundamental services that the family provides to society as it transmits community values while promoting and accompanying the development of human capital and socialization. It is the task of policy makers to create the best possible framework conditions for this to happen. Although this is already an area of political action, conference participants unanimously agreed that policy makers must work with companies to implement more targeted measures to promote the growth of families and their economic stability.
Central areas of action include: securing the legal right of children to be looked after and be supported in their development; flexible childcare services; quality education opportunities; better employment opportunities and increased livelihood security for mothers and the fight against family poverty; flexible working hours and family-friendly companies, equal sharing of family responsibilities and care tasks and, finally, innovative solutions so that there is an adequate number of qualified workers in day-care centres.
When it comes to family support, EU countries act according to different welfare models. This is reflected in the scope and nature of the assistance provided, which however, to a large extent , also depends on the availability and soundness of public finances. Social policy is mainly aimed at redressing economic disadvantages suffered by families. Family policy is shaped by many policy areas, from family law to care and educational facilities as well as transport systems and taxation.
The market economy is inherently incapable of providing child care. Care and education within the family are not marketable services, so they don’t typically involve the generation of economic added value. That is why we need state intervention and support. Over time, family policy has established itself as a political field in its own right, with transversal tasks. There are different policy approaches and agendas within the EU. In a schematic way, it can be said that social democratic welfare states rely primarily on public services; liberal welfare states prefer market-compliant interventions and tax breaks; conservative models favour traditional role models, such as the breadwinner model with a stay-at-home non earner and an earner working outside the home, and preserve them by means of specific regulations and tax incentives - often already in force.
In general, society is in a time of upheaval, with changes affecting families, the labour market and looming environmental challenges. On the one hand, traditional models are being challenged, on the other hand, companies, communities and individuals are looking for certainties. In many cases, the family is idealized as a fortress against crises and as an emotional haven of peace and resilience. In fact, the family is in constant change: its typology as a social community, its aspirations, the role attributed to it by society – all that is changing and is influenced by social and economic factors with cross-generational dynamics.
In view of the many contingent risks, priority should be given to a basic allowance for children regardless of income and to the fight against family poverty. To make appreciable progress towards equality between women and men, we need rules that promote the employment of mothers and significantly expand paternity leave through models and incentives for equal parental leave. At home, fathers should be more involved in household and care tasks, including in planning family activities so as to relieve mothers of their multiple mental load. Labour market and social legislation, as well as taxation, need to be reviewed to remove obstacles to equality. In particular, regulations that hinder gainful employment and the economic independence of mothers, such as the “Familiensplitting” tax arrangement in Germany, should be viewed critically. In this regard, the targets and indicators of Germany’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Family Policy can serve as a guide or benchmark for workers' organisations in their efforts to expand measures to support families and equality between mothers and fathers.