Familialismus reloaded? Zum Wandel von Wohlfahrtsstaat und Familie in Österreich

This article analyses changes in Austrian family and childcare policy against the background of the neoliberal restructuring of the welfare state and the corresponding redistribution of reproductive responsibilities. The main focus is on the question whether and to what extent these changes contribute to an actualisation, modification or rejection of Austria’s familialist profile. The transformation of the welfare state and family as well as the associated reorganisation of social reproduction are examined within the framework of historical-materialistic analysis of family policy reform and development processes. Drawing on feminist analyses on social reproduction as well as critical welfare state research, this article discusses how the tasks and responsibilities associated with care work as part of social reproduction are shaped and reorgnised by the welfare state in contemporary capitalism. Looking at historical developments from Fordism to post-Fordism, familialising and defamilialising tendencies in Austrian family and childcare policy are examined. The article highlights the shifts in social reproduction this change has caused, the inequalities associated with it and the extent to which these developments correspond to the functional requirements of contemporary capitalism.