I have been concerned with research on the early years after the birth of an infant over recent years. During this time I came across a substantial report called 'Transitions for the EU framework' (2005) Nilsen and Brannen - which drew from both quantitative and qualitative studies in eight european countries. In this they identified the 'transition to parenthood' as a critical tipping point on the road to gender equity. Research demonstrates that the vast bulk of couples are attempting to achieve a form of gender equal or egalitarian family form and yet this ambition is being held back by an institutional framework that has been unable to adjust.

I agree, this is a new 'high water mark' in trends towards gender equity. These 'brave new families' are pioneering new ways of being and we need to assist rather than hamper their efforts. The privatization of care via the gendered family form (male breadwinner female carer) is a legacy of the twentieth century. The state and the market rely on the family for care that has been historically privatized. We need to think outside the square. This project began with the second wave women's movement but the challenge is at a conceptual level whereby we adequately respond to the need to care at a policy and practice level. In the UK there has been talk of 'social care' a concept that could be usefully deployed here.

A society can be rightly judged by the extent to which it facilitates the care of dependents. This work is increasingly being recognised of high social value. Moves to detach gender from care are centrally related to democratizing trends that are based on the recognition that all persons need, give and receive care. Autonomy is a joint project that is importantly connected to our developing understanding of intersubjective dynamics.

Joan Garvan