Different policies different lives: The impact of subsidized child care policies on American and Australian women

Abstract

This paper presents findings from feminist, cross-national research into the impact of Australian and American child care subsidy policies on women's lives. The research specifically sought the reflections of women service users. How were their daily lives impacted by these policies, and how did they construct their lives in response to their particular policy contexts? The contrast between the experiences of the Californian and Australian women is remarkable. The Californian women in this study used a residual/safety net service that was poorly funded with limited availability. The subsidy enabled a small group of resourceful women to live marginally above the poverty line. The cost to them of this privilege was great, not only in terms of shaping their life choices, but also in affecting the way they constructed themselves as citizens. In comparison the Australian women had access to a semi-universal child care subsidy (though under threat) that provided them with the flexibility to choose to either participate in the public or private spheres, without regard to income or stigma.