How can mainstream models and classifications be used in analyzing welfare states and gender? What sort of modifications to traditional theory are required? Must alternative frameworks be constructed to accommodate the dimension of gender? These and other questions are addressed in this comprehensive volume - the first to synthesize the insights of feminist and mainstream research in examining the impact of gender on welfare state analysis and outcomes. The text also highlights the effect of welfare state policies on women and men. This book assembles an international and interdisciplinary cast of scholars who approach the subject on two levels. First, they test the applicability of mainstream frameworks to new areas in analyzing gender. Secondly, they highlight possible reconceptualizations and innovative frameworks designed to provide gender-balanced analyses. These twin approaches are combined with a comparative component, focusing on a cross-section of countries of major interest in welfare state research. This text should contribute to contemporary theorizing on welfare states by integrating a range of contemporary research in comparative politics, women's studies, social policy and economics. It should be of interest to students and academics across a wide range of disciplines.