CES Glasgow 12-14 July 2017 The impact of social investment perspectives on gender equality: critical review of the EU childcare strategy Annick Masselot Associate Professor in Law, University of Canterbury, NZ Annick.masselot@canterbury.ac.nz

From social welfare to social investment approaches “… going from a welfare state that is a ‘nurse’ to one that is an ‘investor’” Palier 2008:5-6 (our translation)

Social investment as a victory for feminism? “Gender awareness is a distinctive feature” of social investment discourse. (Molyneux 2006)

The EU Social Investment Policy 2013-2017 Social Investment Package (SIP) Commission Recommendation, Investing in children: breaking the cycle of disadvantage COM(2013) 778 support parents' access to the labour market and make sure that work 'pays' for them improve access to affordable early childhood education and care services step up access to quality services that are essential to children's outcomes – improve access to early childhood education and care including for children under 3, eliminate school segregation, enhance access to health, housing, social services New Start to Support Work-Life Balance for Parents and Carers Proposal for a Directive on the EU Parliament and the Council on Work Life Balance for Parents and Carers COM (2017) 253 final. Paid paternity leave Paid parental leave Carer’s leave Right to request flexible working arrangements

Families must be productive

Child centred policy

Empowering women?

The gender impacts of the Social Investment Package A unidimensional perspective that hides structural inequalities between women and men and between women Gender awareness ≠ gender equality Economic approach rather than a capacity approach Devaluation of care and defamilisation of women and children relationships The child-mother nexus and return of “bad mothers”