FAMILIES

 
Family policy, blending economic and social programs, ideally maximizes opportunities for both parents. Women in most OECD countries are increasingly seeking to pursue careers alongside family life, and social policy can smooth this path or make it difficult to travel.

A robust system of family support should enable women to determine if and when they will become full-time mothers or take up full- or part-time employment. An ample supply of affordable child care services renders this choice vastly easier, and the presence – and actual utilization – of paternal as well as maternal leave speaks to growing gender equality in the home and workplace.

Fertility rates, while certainly reflecting a broad range of cultural dynamics, can also be affected by the ease with which young families can have children without sacrificing one earner’s income. Child poverty rates are a reflection of how well the state cares for the disadvantaged among its youngest generations.