Family policies in Romania within the European framework

Abstract

Despite attempts to harmonize social policies, EU countries differ greatly in the support they provide. Social policies have different traditions that emerged and developed in different social and historical contexts, so there are considerable differences in terms of resources, organization and coverage. As a result, family policies are even more heterogeneous than is suggested by the standard welfare state regimes. Despite the fact that it was one of the few expansionary welfare areas from the European Union in the last years, family policy is characterized by a small degree of institutionalization. This paper studies the cross-country differences of state family support, using secondary data analysis on statistical indicators and legislative or formal documents information. The accounted types of support are financial transfers, leave entitlements, and provision of services. The study analyzes the specific features of these instruments and how they merge to form a more or less comprehensive policy package, with a special focus on Romania. The results reveal a scarcity model of family policy, with a familialisation trend doubled by the passive and rather reactive support.