From income security to a world of investment?
Family wellbeing and family policy in the Finnish government area of 2007-2019
Keywords:
families, wellbeing, government programs, policyAbstract
The concern for families’ wellbeing has increased in Finland during the 2000s. Despite being a part of the Nordic welfare model known for universalism, an increasingly uncertain labor market and cuts in state transfers and services have increased the distress especially in low-income, single-parent, and large families in Finland. This article aims to examine the political construction of family wellbeing in Finland in light of government programs from the period 2007–2019. The analysis is based on theories concerning the importance of political struggles and the significance of influential ideas in politics. Government programs are examined discursively by using a semiotic actant model highlighting the construction of wellbeing, policy measures, target groups, and underlying motivations. The results show that during the beginning of the study period, family wellbeing was largely constructed in the light of the economic status of families, which was seen as weakening due to increasing labor market uncertainty and a lower purchasing power of family income transfers. During the 2010s, the construction of family wellbeing became more multidimensional at the same time as it became increasingly anchored in a more modern family concept. Furthermore, there was a change in policy recommendations for enhancing wellbeing from policies advocating income transfers to ‘social investment’ policies, safeguarding family wellbeing mainly through high-quality services and parental labor market participation.
