Institutionalized Childcare in Canada, Sweden, and Finland and Women’s Health: The Intersection of Welfare State with Cultural Beliefs

This study considers how the role of culture and the structure of public policies relating to the care industry influence the choices both a society and women make regarding the provision and uptake of institutionalized childcare. This paper looks at how the welfare state and cultural beliefs of a society towards women’s roles in Canada, Sweden and Finland shapes these issues. Based on the welfare state models developed by Esping-Andersen (1990, 1999) and cultural models by Pfau-Effinger (2005) a three-way classification of family models is developed to consider the variations in uptake and attitude towards institutionalized childcare in Canada, Sweden and Finland. This paper finds it is not only public policy that influences the uptake of institutionalized childcare, but that culture is an important factor that is often overlooked. Based on the three types of care models I argue that the relationship between cultural values and institutional arrangements are multifactorial and conclude that culture is an important driving factor in the development and uptake of welfare state policies.Â