Introduction

This chapter examines migrant fathers’ experiences with the Norwegian father's quota. There has been an increase in migration to Norway, particularly of migrant workers from countries of the former Eastern Europe and Sweden, but also from countries in Southern Europe, such as Italy and Spain (SSB, 2014). This is why it is interesting to look into how immigrants who have become fathers in Norway experience a ‘fatherfriendly welfare state’. Family policy intervenes in what is often seen as private family life. The fathers in this chapter all come from countries where welfare and caregiving services come under the aegis of the family to a larger extent, and where, compared to Norway, a smaller proportion of mothers of small children are employed outside the home.

We concentrate on migrant workers from Central and Southern Europe who, in this study, are the highly qualified people who migrate to find jobs that match their qualifications. They represent the so-called ‘global nomads’ (Bauman, 1998) and the move of young Europeans within the European Union (EU) (Bagnoli, 2007). These fathers have become part of the Norwegian welfare state regime through participating in working life and having children in Norway, although they are also participants in the contexts represented by their homelands. They have all stayed at home on father's leave. We are interested in how these fathers encounter the Norwegian leave system, and whether their perspective can help us understand how the father's quota works as a means of increasing gender equality in working life and care work. As they are positioned between different care regimes, this enables them to reflect on differences and similarities in social policy in the different countries. The research questions addressed in this chapter are: (1) How do the migrant fathers experience the design elements of the Norwegian father's quota? (2) What are the mechanisms behind these elements that promote more genderequal fathering practices in caring and employment?

The chapter starts by describing the institutions of the welfare state and caring work in the family in the immigrants’ homelands and also in Norway. The theoretical concepts of ‘outsider-within’ and ‘institutional actor’ are presented. Based on comparative research on care regimes, the concept of individualization processes is used in order to discuss variation and change in family policies in the different European countries, with a special focus on parental leave systems.