The essay analyses men’s and women’s choices in the labour market and care work in different national contexts. Starting from the prem-ise that there is an ongoing change in the condition of parenthood and fatherhood, the analysis considers the differences between Euro-pean countries in the compatibility between work and care of children both for men and women, and particularly men’s capabilities and right to care work. The article considers in detail proactive policies that encourage men to increase their care work concentrating on parental leave in Sweden.only subscribers can see the full article

The paper examines the main effects of the difficulties of reconciling life and work times in Italy. It then goes on to analyse a particular aspect of this difficulty, namely the incapacity of satisfying desired fertility plans. Analysing data from an inquiry on living conditions of families from a well off Italian province, there is empirical evidence of the positive effect of the type of work performed by the woman on the gap between children desired and effective. Some policy considerations are given in the conclusion.only subscribers can see the full article