The Invisible Welfare State: Women's Work at Home

Abstract

Analysing welfare in terms of Allardt's three dimensions – Having, Loving, and Being – women's unpaid work at home seems particularly important for securing the welfare of the children, the sick, and the old on the Loving dimension. Increasing employment outside the home is necessary for increasing women's welfare on the Being dimension and their independence on the Having dimension. This cannot be realized without reducing the amount of women's unpaid work in the home. A dilemma of the welfare state is how women's equality on the Having and Being dimensions can be realized without the dependent population becoming worse off on the Loving dimension.