The Matthew effect in childcare use: a matter of policies or preferences?

Under the social investment paradigm, formal childcare services are heralded as being the policy instrument <italic>par excellence</italic> to combat social exclusion. However, it was shown that a Matthew effect (ME) in its use is present in almost all European countries: disadvantaged children are...

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Publicado en:Journal of European Public Policy Vol. 25; no. 6; pp. 878 - 894
Autores principales: Pavolini, Emmanuele, Van Lancker, Wim
Formato: Artículo
Publicado: Taylor & Francis Ltd Jun2018
Materias:
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
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        10.1080/13501763.2017.1401108
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        atl: The Matthew effect in childcare use: a matter of policies or preferences?
      aug:
        au:
          Pavolini, Emmanuele
          Van Lancker, Wim
        affil:
          Economic Sociology and Social Policy, University of Macerata, Macerata, Italy
          SPOCRI, University of Macerata, Macerata, Italy
          Centre for Sociological Research, University of Leuven, Belgium
          Herman Deleeck Centre for Social Policy, University of Antwerp, Antwerpen, Belgium
      su:
        Investments & society
        Child care
        Social isolation
        Social marginality
        Supply-side economics
      sug:
        subj:
          Investments & society
          Child care
          Social isolation
          Social marginality
          Supply-side economics
      keyword:
        Childcare
        inequality
        Matthew effect
        preferences
        social investment
        welfare state
      ab: Under the social investment paradigm, formal childcare services are heralded as being the policy instrument <italic>par excellence</italic> to combat social exclusion. However, it was shown that a Matthew effect (ME) in its use is present in almost all European countries: disadvantaged children are less likely to use childcare than more advantaged children. In this contribution we aim to uncover the cause of the ME by distinguishing between supply-side and demand-side explanations. This refers to constraints in the availability or affordability of childcare and to dominant cultural norms on motherhood. In doing so, we take due account of the role of employment. The results show that the ME in formal childcare cannot be explained by class differences in employment. Moreover, the ME is related to the supply-side and much less to the demand-side. Structural constraints in childcare provision matter everywhere and tend to limit the uptake of childcare, especially for disadvantaged children. In contrast, cultural norms on motherhood are a less important predictor of the ME in childcare use. This means that more investment in the provision of childcare services is necessary in order to achieve its ambitious policy goals.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype: Article
      src: R
    language: English
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