This paper reflects about the gender and age inequalities that influence the access to the labor market on the one hand and reproductive ones on the other. Maternity and work often arise as choices excluding one another due for the inadequacy of care services especially in the South of Italy.
The essay reviews some laws of the last years for encourage the work-life balance and analyzes the presence of the services for children in Palermo. The case study of the municipality of Palermo shows a general lack of services and a progressive reduction of public nurseries and kindergarten, despite the economic investments of the last decades at institutional level. It points out how many obstacles persist that discourage female participation in the labor market, but above all discourage procreative choices in the couples "dual earner", with negative effects on future generational balances.
Keywords: Work-life balance; services for children; Mediterranean welfare; Sicilian governance.