Many studies on services for small children underline the importance of the availability of these facilities for female employment. This work offers an account of the provision of these services in Italy with the aim of identifying the link between young women’s presence in the labour market and the availability of care services for early childhood and for old age; it also sketches an analysis of the relation between the presence of services and fertility rates. A factorial analysis leads to a geography of local welfare in Italy, the picture that emerges being marked by strongly contrasting levels of provision in different areas.only subscribers can see the full article