Abstract
The multiple-role patterns that women have discovered are the first way to transcend the duality of women's work and family roles. The theory of the welfare state has become more differentiated and complex, taking into account an additional set of variables -economic, political, and cultural at each new stage of the analysis. The earlier rural life patterns of women helped to produce policies that support modern dual-worker households. The trend towards multiple roles which has documents among American college women has also appeared in the non-college population in both the United States and Germany. The chapter suggests how the role changes could be a useful guide for shaping future policy initiatives in liberal, corporatist, and social democratic versions of the welfare state. The main challenge to the enlightened work and family policies of the Scandinavian welfare states is the budget crises, which threaten major cutbacks in child care and bring discouragement to women in dual roles as parents and workers.
