Envisioning Work and Family: A Critical Perspective on International Models

Abstract

This Article takes a critical look at the work-family policies of two countries, Sweden and France. It presents an impressionistic view, based primarily on interviews with a broad range of individuals in both countries conducted during the summer of 1988, under a grant from the Fund for Labor Relations Studies. Sweden and France were chosen because of their very distinct family policies. The interviews reinforced this distinctiveness and revealed two very different underlying visions of work and family. While Swedish policy is articulated as a policy premised on the principle of equality, French policy is viewed as grounded on a woman-centered vision.