Mothers or Institutions? How Women Work and Care in Slovenia and the Czech Republic

This article considers women’s and men’s roles in the labour market and the different ways in which care-work is shared inSlovenia and the Czech Republic. Effective policy measures can prevent parenting of young children becoming one of thegreatest risks of falling into poverty. The authors discuss to what extent the prevailing ideals of care influence the policies in relation to parenting as a source of social risks. The two post-communist countries - Slovenia and Czech Republic - show different trajectories in the development of childcare policies. The article shows that Czech social policies have reproduced thetraditional ideal of full-time mother-care without preventing poverty and social exclusion of families with young children of pre-school age. In contrast to this, policies in Slovenia support female employment, with the ideal of professional childcare alongside parental care-sharing, which also helps to improve the economic situation of families with small children.