Governing through Burdens: Exploring how childcare benefit policy amendments reinforce social inequalities through governmentality

Strong disparities in formal childcare use persist across Europe, with children from families on a lower income attending formal childcare far less often than those from households with a higher income (Van Lancker & Ghysels, 2016; Pavolini & Van Lancker, 2018). This exploratory qualitative study draws on thematic analysis of 208 public consultation responses to a proposed amendment to the childcare allowance system aimed at implementing budget cuts, in the context of the Netherlands. To explore how parents navigate the changing system of childcare allowance, I analyze responses using the analytical lens of administrative burdens (Mohiyan et al., 2014) and situate it in a broader framework of governmentality. This reveals how parents not only experience burdens, but also how they understand their roles and responsibilities in relation to the state. The findings show that beyond affordability, parents face a lack of real choice and uncertainty about what to expect from the system, sometimes leading them to avoid the use of formal childcare. Although parents criticize the proposed legislation, they simultaneously internalize its underlying policy logic. Overall, the study shows that administrative burden are not limited to direct interactions with bureaucratic processes, but also includes anticipatory burdens related to navigating uncertainty and complexity. Ultimately, the study reveals that affordability alone is not enough for equal access, because structural barriers also remain through subtle mechanisms such as complexity and uncertainty.