Critical occupational science as a lens for analysing public policy: Normativity and parenting practices in the French ‘First 1000 Days’ strategy

Background: Launched in 2019 to reduce early childhood inequalities, the French ‘First 1,000 Days’ policy established universal support mechanisms including Early Prenatal Interviews (EPP), Perinatal Care Coordinators (RéPAP), and multidisciplinary ‘1,000 Days Houses’. While aiming to support parents, these measures also prescribe specific parenting practices, raising critical questions about normative expectations and occupational justice.Methods: A qualitative documentary case study analysed nine institutional documents (commission report, ministerial instructions, operational protocols, and digital platforms) produced between 2020 and 2024. Data underwent a three-stage iterative analysis (descriptive, interpretative, and critical) grounded in critical occupational science to examine how policy frameworks shape parental occupations, autonomy, and everyday life.Results: Analysis revealed tension between the policy’s benevolent rhetoric and its normative effects. While providing structured support, the policy standardises ‘good parenting’ through neurodevelopmental discourses, disproportionately burdening mothers and creating territorial disparities. These dynamics produce specific forms of occupational injustice: occupational hierarchisation (valuing stimulation over rest or informal care), imbalance (maternal overload), and marginalisation of families whose realities diverge from institutional norms.Conclusion: Public policy acts as a powerful regulator of everyday occupations, often conflating support with surveillance. To foster true occupational justice, early childhood policies must move beyond behavioural correction. Concrete recommendations include legally separating support services from child protection surveillance, actively involving second parents in perinatal pathways, and adapting outreach to diverse cultural and socioeconomic realities to recognise the plurality of ‘doing family’.