Introduction: Transnational Care in Europe--Changing Formations of Citizenship, Family, and Generation

Abstract

The issue of how care should be arranged within European states' welfare policies in the context of Europe's aging population has generated considerable interest. Increasing labor market participation of women, longer life expectancy, and greater care needs have contributed to a care deficit in Europe. Projections of population aging and concerns about the future ratio of workers to nonworking people with care needs (e.g., the elderly, children) have elevated care into an important policy concern for many European states, and on the level of the European Union (EU). While a lot of the conceptual tools for research on transnational care have been developed in the North American context where state provision is lacking, the situation in Europe differs. Especially in recent years, in many European countries, care has been recognized as a public good (Lister et al. 2007) and European states shape care provision by restructuring state support for care.