Greek family policy from a comparative perspective

In Greece, as in most Southern European countries, the key welfare provider is the ‘family’. This chapter explores the role of Greek family policy in sustaining this welfare arrangement. The policy components under investigation include arrangements for child care provision; arrangements for maternity, paternity and parental leave; and the value of the total “package” of transfers to families with children in the form of benefits, tax allowances and various subsidies. The results point to the rudimentary character of the Greek family policy as one of the major factors in reproducing the primacy of the ‘family’ in welfare provision in Greece. Furthermore, they raise questions about the type of gender relationships within and outside the household that the Greek family policy sustains and, eventually, legitimizes.