abstract: 'This article analyses childcare services in six countries, assessing

  this policy instrument''s potential to facilitate parents'' capabilities

  for arranging childcare in a way they have reason to value. It draws on

  Sen''s capability approach to conceptualize and assess childcare policy

  design across five key aspects of childcare provision (accessibility,

  availability, affordability, quality and flexibility) in a

  country-comparative perspective. The conceptualization of the

  multifaceted nature of childcare provides compelling insights into the

  complexity of comparing childcare services across countries. The ensuing

  analysis and comprehensive overview of national policies challenges the

  idea of a defamilialization policy cluster, which masks key distinctions

  between public and market service provision. The more nuanced

  conceptualization and operationalization of childcare policy design

  through the capability approach reveals parents'' real opportunities for

  arranging childcare and the varying effects of policy design across

  gender and class. In addition, it goes beyond implicit commodification

  assumptions and opens up space for parents'' potential desire for

  multiple care arrangement possibilities.'
affiliation: 'Yerkes, MA (Corresponding Author), Univ Utrecht, Dept Interdisciplinary
  Social Sci, POB 80140, NL-3508 TC Utrecht, Netherlands.

  Yerkes, Mara A., Univ Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands.

  Javornik, Jana, Univ Leeds, Leeds, W Yorkshire, England.'
author: Yerkes, Mara A. and Javornik, Jana
author-email: m.a.yerkes@uu.nl
author_list:
- family: Yerkes
  given: Mara A.
- family: Javornik
  given: Jana
da: '2023-09-28'
doi: 10.1177/0958928718808421
eissn: 1461-7269
files: []
issn: 0958-9287
journal: JOURNAL OF EUROPEAN SOCIAL POLICY
keywords: 'Capability; childcare; comparative analysis; defamilialism; family

  policy; gender and class'
keywords-plus: 'POLITICAL-ECONOMY; GENDER EQUALITY; PARENTAL LEAVE; FAMILY POLICY;
  WORK;

  FAMILIALISM; INEQUALITY; EMPLOYMENT; MOTHERS; LABOR'
language: English
month: OCT
number: '4'
number-of-cited-references: '103'
orcid-numbers: Javornik, Jana/0000-0002-6103-1359
pages: 529-544
papis_id: 65a2115dd2303797bb2feaf87fd121aa
ref: Yerkes2019creatingcapabilities
researcherid-numbers: 'Yerkes, Mara/AAJ-2904-2020

  '
times-cited: '32'
title: 'Creating capabilities: Childcare policies in comparative perspective'
type: article
unique-id: WOS:000483651800005
usage-count-last-180-days: '14'
usage-count-since-2013: '59'
volume: '29'
web-of-science-categories: Public Administration; Social Issues
year: '2019'