The persistence of male breadwinner model in southern European countries in a compared perspective: Familism, employment and family policies

This paper analyses the association between traditional family structures based on intergenerational and gender tasks and kinship solidarity and the family and employment policies in Southern European countries (Spain, Italy and Greece) from a compared perspective. In this way, the paper studies how the persistence of structures and family strategies associated with the male breadwinner model are linked in these countries with limited family and labour policies of support to the families with family responsibilities and dual-earners. The conclusion from these analyses refer to the fact that in the Southern European countries the institutional context in which the family and labour policies are developed would partly explain the continuity of low fertility, woman's economic and family dependence and, therefore, the persistence of the traditional family based on the male breadwinner model.