Family Policies in Eastern Europe: A Focus on Parental Leave

Family policy is an issue of concern for many Governments. Family policies are organized around the four main functions of the family: marriage, childrearing, financial support and family care. Eastern Europe is an area with significant socio-economic and political changes in the last decades that determined revisions of social policies. The goal of this article is to review the most relevant family policies in this region. Using feminist and family systems theoretical perspectives the paper also provides an in-depth examination of childcare policies with a focus on parental leave. Maternity, paternity and parental leave and child care services in the region are explored. Recommendations for family policy development, implementation and evaluation in Eastern Europe are provided.