Social Support Networks for Childcare Among Foreign Women in Italy

This paper contributes to the quantitative literature on social support networks for childcare in Italy. As italy is a country characterised by a familistic welfare model, women who lack kin-based support networks, which are indeed a useful tool in this type of countries, may be disadvantaged. We considered foreign working women that have at least one cohabiting child in preschool age, and, using large scale survey data, we defined and built their ECSEN (Effective Children Support Ego-Network). We synthesized the networks observed into five main typologies through a cluster analysis, followed by an aggregative inductive procedure. This allowed to single out the support given by kin members and by other children, and to highlight situations of potential social frailty. We then identified three situations of interest that we further analysed through logistic modeling. Results underline the crucial role of living arrangements and of kin’s availability in shaping the ECSEN, highlight that, differently from other family behaviours, cultural background and country of origin play a marginal role, and identify some Italian specificities.