Book review: Handbook of Family Policy
| Author | Szandra Kramarics |
| Published date | 01 September 2020 |
| Date | 01 September 2020 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/1388262720945404 |
| Subject Matter | Book reviews |
provide insight into couples’ lives on how the traditional gender division of labour along with the
institutional framework affect family financial decisions, the division of childcare responsibilities,
unpaid work beyond care, and the definition of the roles of the mother and father. The study
pointed out that parental leave is seen by countries as a voluntary option for fathers, while others
think that is mandatory for mothers.
The book is of paramount importance for research on social inequalities. The exclusion of
mothers from the labour market and the development of their main caring role may lead to a
higher risk of poverty for mothers and children in the long term.
Author biography
Dorottya De´
ak obtained a Master’s degree in Social Policy Studies at Eo¨tvo¨s Lor´and University in
Hungary. She is currently a PhD student at the Doctoral School of Sociology in the Faculty of
Social Sciences of Eo¨tvo¨s Lor´and University. Her research focuses on the social aspects of
cyberbullying. Email-address: kissdeak@gmail.com
Guðny
´Bjo
¨rk Eydal and Tine Rostgaard, Handbook of Family Policy, Cheltenham (UK)/Northampton
(MA): Edward Elgar, 2018, 424 pages, ISBN: 978 1 78471 933 3 (Hardcover).
Reviewed by: Szandra Kramarics, Eo
¨tvo
¨s Lor`
and University, Hungary.
DOI: 10.1177/1388262720945404
Nowadays, family policy as a component of social welfare is becoming one of the main issues of
social cohesion in several countries. The need to reconcile work and family life, the changing role
of parents, the eradication of child poverty and the importance of gender equality are increasingly
shaping this discussion. The efforts taken to protect children and families differ between states and
are largely dependent on culture, historical traditions, political and economic goals as well as the
general social order of the given state. The subject of this review is a volume of studies incorpor-
ating latest research findings on family policy from many countries around the world.
The Handbook of Family Policy presents a wide range of knowledge to the reader. In the
introduction, Eydal and Rostgaard describe the beginning of family policy research and try to
define this field of science. Defining the range of family policy is very complex, as it involves a
number of measures and can be linked to many other policy areas, e.g. employment policy, equal
opportunities policies, housing policy, etc. The authors have tried to find a middle ground between
the definitions, which is neither too narrow nor too broad, and therefore have listed the policies
whose main starting point is the family and the state-family relationship. The studies in the book
mainly focus on cash benefits and services that can be provided to families with children. Family
law, which is part of a broader interpretation of family policy, specific child protection policies and
the issue of families raising children with special needs are not included in the volume.
Of course, there is an abundance of international literature on family policy. Ostner and Schmitt
(2008) focus on family policy in the Nordic countries with a strong emphasis on employment and
Book reviews 353
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