Since the 1970s, in close relation to the increasing female participation in the workforce, public authorities have taken a whole gamut of measures in favor of families with young children, and more particularly the set-up of childcare facilities. Since the 1980s, under the pretext of fighting unemployment, priority was given to public subsidies in favor of individual childcare. However, the needs in this field are far from answered. In addition to the fact that day nurseries do not offer enough places, childcare and education are still mostly women’s work, whether in the private or in the professional fields. Jobs in daycare nurseries or as babysitters are often precarious and poorly paid. Social inequalities persist in terms of choice and access to various types of childcare, although recent reforms have contributed to their reduction.