In the welfare literature, it is common to group the Nordic countries, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden, and label them as the Scandinavian or Nordic welfare model (for example, Esping-Andersen, 1993, 1999; Millar and Warman, 1996; Sipilä, 1997). However, the fifth independent Nordic country, Iceland, has rarely been included in the comparative research. While Iceland has developed a somewhat smaller welfare system than the other Nordic countries, the countries are all characterised by high female employment and comprehensive public support to parents caring for young children (Ólafsson, 1999; Daly, 2000; Gornick and Meyers, 2003).

This chapter examines whether the five Nordic countries have followed a similar path in the development of their childcare polices or whether their policies reflect different national choices within this policy area. Childcare policy refers to public support to parents caring for their young children, regardless of whether the support refers to public childcare schemes, services or payments for care (Rostgaard and Fridberg, 1998). The evidence presented in this chapter suggests that the Nordic countries have developed their own national schemes to provide care support to parents of young children that differ from each other in several important aspects.

Childcare and gender equality policies in the Nordic countries

The development of public childcare policies is intimately linked with the progress of gender equality and the general expansion of the welfare state. The division of labour between the state and the families has been a central issue concerning childcare policies in all the Nordic countries. There have been two main arguments for an active state intervention and support for families: one stresses that the state needs to safeguard the interests of children, whereas the other stresses the importance of facilitating the participation of women in the labour market (Leira, 1992; Rostgaard and Fridberg, 1998).

In Northern Europe, the first childcare institutions for children were established during the 18th century (Stang-Dahl, 1985; Sipilä, 1997). Originally, the Scandinavian childcare institutions were established for special groups of children.However, beginning in the 1940s, there was a shift of policy ideals and the benefits of pre-school education for all children were emphasised (Antman, 1996; Sipilä, 1997; Rostgaard and Fridberg, 1998). After the Second World War, childcare became a public, and thus a political issue in the Nordic countries (Björnberg, 1993).