Welfare and labour-force participation of kinship foster mothers

Abstract

Objective: Kinship foster care has become the placement of choice in the Western world. This article explores the welfare, labour-force participation, and caregiving role of kinship foster mothers in Norway. <br>Method: The study supplements a quantitative study of Norwegian long-term kinship and nonkinship foster care with a qualitative study of parenting in formal kinship foster care. A total of 123 kinship and 88 nonkinship foster mothers participated in the quantitative study. The qualitative data is based on interviews with 22 kinship foster mothers about their caregiving experience. <br>Findings: Kinship foster care in Norway can be described as gendered, in that it is usually women who assume the responsibility for relatives’ children. The economic activity of most kinship foster mothers in Norway is comparable with that of the country’s female population in general. The prevalence of single providers among kinship foster mothers is no higher than for the country as a whole. The education level of kinship foster mothers is lower than the female population average. <br>Conclusion: Social welfare authorities should pave the way for more men to become caregivers, and for development of the system to strengthen the position of women in relation to the their services.