Who Cares for the Children? Debating Public and Private Involvement in Maternity Protection and Childcare in Post-wwii Italy

Abstract

This contribution aims to provide an analysis of the debate on maternal and child welfare in post-World War ii Italy in the broader context of the building of social citizenship in the brand-new Italian Republic. In the perspective of path dependency, the research shows how democratic welfare in this domain has been conditioned by the gendered and cultural assumptions of different political visions, the legacy of Fascism, the influence of the Church, and new psychological knowledge about children.