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Elder care allowances in action: missed opportunities for gender transformation

DOI:10.1057/s41253-020-00114-w
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Clémence Ledoux at University of Nantes
Clémence Ledoux
Hab. Annie Dussuet
Hab. Annie Dussuet
Hab. Annie Dussuet
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Abstract

This article analyses the formulation, adoption, implementation and evaluation of the Elder Care Allowance (APA) since 2001 at the national and departmental levels, with a fine-grained case study of implementation in one department. We show that despite elder care being highly feminized, this policy instrument was gender blind when it was put on the agenda and adopted. When it was implemented at the departmental level, the room for manoeuvre has not been used to reduce gender inequality, and at the national level, a recent movement to gender policy evaluation has not yet produced significant effects with regard to elder care. Thus, rather than transforming gender norms, it has led to a kind of gender accommodation that reflects existing gender relations.
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Vol.:(0123456789)
French Politics (2020) 18:71–92
https://doi.org/10.1057/s41253-020-00114-w
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Elder care allowances inaction: missed opportunities
forgender transformation
ClémenceLedoux1· Hab.AnnieDussuet2
Published online: 13 March 2020
© Springer Nature Limited 2020
Abstract
This article analyses the formulation, adoption, implementation and evaluation of
the Elder Care Allowance (APA) since 2001 at the national and departmental levels,
with a fine-grained case study of implementation in one department. We show that
despite elder care being highly feminized, this policy instrument was gender blind
when it was put on the agenda and adopted. When it was implemented at the depart-
mental level, the room for manoeuvre has not been used to reduce gender inequality,
and at the national level, a recent movement to gender policy evaluation has not yet
produced significant effects with regard to elder care. Thus, rather than transforming
gender norms, it has led to a kind of gender accommodation that reflects existing
gender relations.
Keywords Implementation· Elder care· Unpaid work· Street-level bureaucrats
Introduction
Elder care is a highly feminized domain. In France, like in other European coun-
tries, a majority of elder care receivers, informal helpers or paid care workers are
women (Lewis 1998; Hobson, Lewis, and Siim 2002; Daly and Rake 2003; Dus-
suet 2005; Morel 2007; Le Bihan and Martin 2010; Bonnet etal. 2011; Ranci and
Pavolini 2012; Avril 2014; Avril and Cartier 2014). This reflects three main social
dynamics. Firstly, women have a higher life expectancy than men and therefore a
majority of older people are women—over 69% of those aged over 85 in France in
* Clémence Ledoux
clemence.ledoux@univ-nantes.fr
Hab. Annie Dussuet
annie.dussuet@univ-nantes.fr
1 Droit et Changement Social, UMR 6297, University ofNantes, Chemin de la Censive du Tertre,
BP 81 307, 44313NantesCedex, France
2 Centre Nantais de Sociologie, UMR 6025, University ofNantes, BP 81227,
44312NantesCedex, France
Content courtesy of Springer Nature, terms of use apply. Rights reserved.
... In France, the 2005 Plan Borloo promoted competition in home care services and led to the growth of for-profit providers. These are supported substantially by public funding and tax breaks for households that pay directly for their services (Ledoux & Dussuet, 2020). In contrast, in Austria, a cash-for-care scheme whereby the government provides individuals with cash benefits has not translated into a prominent role for private providers. ...
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