An article compared the prevalence and characteristics of lone parent families in Europe, analyzed the poverty and deprivation risks of children, and evaluated the potential impact of social transfer income packages on child poverty reduction. Lower child poverty rates were found in countries with more generous social transfers, even after controlling for the country standard of living. A reverse pattern was observed for material deprivation: the negative effect of social transfer income washed out when national income per capita was controlled for, which itself had a negative and significant effect on material deprivation.
Source: Yekaterina Chzhen and Jonathan Bradshaw, 'Lone parents, poverty and policy in the European Union', Journal of European Social Policy, Volume 22 Number 5
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Dec
An article examined the impact of the participation of child rights organizations on policy processes relating to child rights in the European Union. A 'bifurcated' pattern of civil society engagement had emerged in relation to EU internal and external policy dimensions, which had led to divergent policy frames at the Commission level and limited the Europeanization effects at the domestic level.
Source: Ingi Iusmen, 'Civil society participation and EU children's rights policy', Journal of Civil Society, Volume 8 Issue 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Dec
A briefing paper examined parenting support in Europe.
Source: Parenting Support Policy Brief, European Alliance for Families
Links: Brief
Date: 2012-Dec
A report said that the circumstances of children and families across Europe had seriously deteriorated during 2012. The worsening trend was evident in access to adequate resources, access to quality services, and children's participation.
Source: Sandy Ruxton (ed.), How the Economic and Financial Crisis Is Affecting Children & Young People in Europe, Eurochild
Links: Report | Eurochild press release
Date: 2012-Dec
A new book provided a comparative analysis of family well-being from a European perspective.
Source: Almudena Moreno Minguez (ed.), Family Well-Being: European perspectives, Springer
Links: Summary
Date: 2012-Dec
A new book examined the allocation of the costs of childcare in European countries, and how political choices about childcare had different impacts on equality of opportunity. Greater choice was required in order to reduce the existing tendency to discriminate against mothers.
Source: David Mayes and Mark Thomson (eds), The Costs of Children: Parenting and democracy in contemporary Europe, Edward Elgar Publishing
Links: Summary
Date: 2012-Dec
An article examined the relationship between the free movement of persons within the European Union and the law on the migration of children. The law on international child abduction and national law on relocation of children might represent a restriction on free movement of persons within the EU, and could be subject to a proportionality review in European law. But the law on the migration of children was a 'justified and proportionate' restriction on freedom of movement, because it sought to protect the best interests of the child.
Source: Ruth Lamont, 'Free movement of persons, child abduction and relocation within the European Union', Journal of Social Welfare & Family Law, Volume 34 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Nov
A paper examined the relationship between women's education and lifetime fertility intentions in Europe. A positive association between women's level of education and lifetime fertility intentions existed at both the individual and country levels, as well as in a micro-macro integrated framework. This association was, however, not responsive to country differences in terms of childcare services, gender equality, and economic conditions. The main explanation was that when policies and institutional contexts allowed highly educated women to have larger families, women of reproductive ages were more prone to make investments in both human capital and family size, because these choices were not seen as incompatible alternatives.
Source: Maria Rita Testa, Women's Fertility Intentions and Level of Education: Why are they positively correlated in Europe?, European Demographic Research Papers 3, Vienna Institute of Demography
Links: Paper
Date: 2012-Nov
A new book challenged the assumption that opportunities for mobility undermined the family in modern industrialized societies. Mobility was not just about bringing people together: it also allowed for time apart. Collective forms of mobility, such as moving house, going on holiday, and the school run, also sustained family life.
Source: Clare Holdsworth, Family and Intimate Mobilities, Palgrave Macmillan
Links: Summary
Date: 2012-Nov
A report made a set of policy recommendations on child poverty, health, and well-being in Europe, aimed at preventing and tackling child poverty by addressing health promotion and disease in the child population.
Source: Recommendation on Child Poverty, Health and Well-Being, European Public Health Alliance
Links: Report | EPHA press release
Date: 2012-Nov
An article examined the poor relationship between the European Commission and the children's rights networks, and how this had affected the children's rights agenda.
Source: Jean Grugel and Ingi Iusmen, 'The European Commission as guardian angel: the challenges of agenda-setting for children's rights', Journal of European Public Policy, Volume 20 Issue 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Nov
A special issue of a journal examined early childhood education and care in Europe.
Source: European Journal of Education, Volume 47 Issue 4
Links: Table of contents
Notes: Articles included:
• Peter Moss, 'Caring and learning together: exploring the relationship between parental leave and early childhood education and care'
• Mathias Urban, 'Researching early childhood policy and practice. a critical ecology'
• Mathias Urban, Michel Vandenbroeck, Katrien Van Laere, Arianna Lazzari, and Jan Peeters, 'Towards competent systems in early childhood education and care. implications for policy and practice'
Katrien Van Laere, Jan Peeters, and Michel Vandenbroeck, 'The education and care divide: the role of the early childhood workforce in 15 European countries'
• Maria Herczog, 'Rights of the child and early childhood education and care in Europe'
Date: 2012-Nov
A paper estimated the causal effect of being born to a teenage mother on children's outcomes in Europe. The findings suggested that the child's probability of post-compulsory education decreased when born to a teenage mother, and that the daughters of teenage mothers were significantly more likely to become teenage mothers themselves.
Source: Maria Navarro Paniagua and Ian Walker, The Impact of Teenage Motherhood on the Education and Fertility of their Children: Evidence for Europe, Discussion Paper 6995, Institute for the Study of Labor (Bonn)
Links: Paper
Date: 2012-Nov
A new book examined marriage as a social institution in industrialized countries, and evaluated proposals for marriage reform.
Source: Marsha Garrison (ed.), Marriage at the Crossroads: Law, policy, and the brave new world of 21st-century families, Cambridge University Press
Links: Summary
Notes: Chapters included: Rebecca Probert, 'Marriage at the crossroads in England and Wales'
Date: 2012-Nov
An article examined the impact of unemployment on the likelihood of having a first child, using micro-data from the European Community Household Panel for France, West Germany, and the United Kingdom (1994–2001). The results highlighted weak negative effects of unemployment on family formation among men, which could be attributed to the inability to financially support a family. Among women, unemployment exerted a positive effect on the propensity to have a first child in Germany and the UK, where institutional settings aggravated work-family conflicts. Unemployment increased the likelihood of family formation among women with a moderate or low level of education. This did not, however, generally apply to French women or to highly educated women in Germany and the UK, who, when unemployed, favoured a quick return to work over motherhood.
Source: Christian Schmitt, 'A cross-national perspective on unemployment and first births', European Journal of Population, Volume 28 Number 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Oct
A report summarized the key issues and messages from four case studies of 'inspiring practice' in family and parenting support. The case studies were drawn from Northern Ireland, Bulgaria, Poland, and Wales.
Source: Juliet Ramage, Early Intervention and Prevention in Family Support: Synthesis Report, Eurochild
Links: Report | Eurochild press release
Date: 2012-Oct
An article examined cross-national differences in the time that parents allocated to their children using aggregate data from 15 European countries. There were large differences between countries. These differences appeared to be associated with four main national characteristics: the countries' level of economic development, the number of hours spent in paid work, values regarding gender roles, and post-materialist values. Some elements of the countries' work-family policies also appeared to matter, but their overall effect was less conclusive.
Source: Anne Gauthier and Berenice DeGusti, 'The time allocation to children by parents in Europe', International Sociology, Volume 27 Number 6
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Oct
A background paper examined the situation in relation to child poverty/social exclusion/well-being in the European Union. It outlined the EU policy context and summarized recent developments. It identified a series of key challenges that needed to be addressed in order to make progress on the issue, and outlined the next key steps that could usefully be taken.
Source: Hugh Frazer and Eric Marlier, Current Situation in Relation to Child Poverty and Child Wellbeing: EU policy context, key challenges ahead and ways forward, European Commission
Links: Paper
Date: 2012-Oct
The Council of the European Union adopted a statement on tackling child poverty. It said that measures should be taken to avoid losing the political momentum on the issue in the wake of the economic and fiscal crisis, which had resulted in a rise in relative and absolute forms of child poverty and social exclusion. Member states should consider treating child poverty/social exclusion/well-being as one of the key issues of the social dimension of the Europe 2020 strategy and of the reinvigorated social 'open method of co-ordination' (OMC). Full use should be made of existing tools to improve monitoring and reporting on child poverty, as well as the evaluation of policies.
Source: Preventing and Tackling Child Poverty and Social Exclusion and Promoting Children's Well-Being, European Union
Links: Statement | European Union press release | Eurochild press release
Date: 2012-Oct
A paper examined the effect of family systems on people's fertility behaviour in Europe, from a social network perspective.
Source: Bastian Moenkediek and Hilde Bras, Family Systems, Welfare Regimes and Fertility Behavior in Contemporary Europe from a Social Network Perspective, Department of History, Radboud University Nijmegen (Netherlands)
Links: Link removed
Date: 2012-Sep
An article used panel data from 18 western countries from 1987 to 2007 to test the effect of family policies and other welfare policies on child poverty rates. All three of the main family policies studied – child cash and tax benefits, paid parenting leave, and public support for childcare – correlated significantly with lower child poverty rates. Disability and sickness insurance also correlated significantly with lower child poverty in nearly every model and test.
Source: Daniel Engster, 'Child poverty and family policies across eighteen wealthy western democracies', Journal of Children and Poverty, Volume 18 Issue 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Sep
A paper examined the contribution of child benefit 'packages' toward tackling child poverty among working families in Europe. Child benefit packages as a whole had played an important role in narrowing the gap between net income and 60 per cent of median equivalent income: nevertheless, in many countries they failed to protect low-wage earners against poverty. The package for lone parents was more generous in most countries: but how and whether childcare costs were subsidized made a big difference to this group. Comparatively generous packages for low-paid workers were to be found in countries where financial help for families with children was well targeted by means of income-related cash benefits, refundable income-related tax credits, or social assistance top-ups (including in the United Kingdom): but selective benefit systems might be quite ineffective with regard to poverty alleviation due to take-up problems and labour market disincentives. Child benefit packages were also often above average in countries that combined universal cash benefits with income-related cash benefits, housing allowances, or supplementary benefits from social assistance. Whereas during the 1990s child benefit packages had been able to escape welfare erosion, over the most recent decade the value of the package relative to median equivalized income had fallen in more countries than it had increased.
Source: Natascha Van Mechelen and Jonathan Bradshaw, Child Poverty as a Government Priority: Child benefit packages for working families, 1992–2009, Discussion Paper 50, GINI Project (European Commission)
Links: Paper
Date: 2012-Sep
A paper examined the changing social and fiscal policy mix of child benefit systems in developed (OECD) countries from 1960 to 2005. Child benefit levels had became more similar and generous since the 1960s. However, the composition of child benefit packages varied extensively across countries. The Nordic countries and Ireland had come to rely predominantly on universal child benefits; in a second group (including Germany and the United States) it was instead the tax system that provided the channel for redistribution to families with dependent children; in a third group (including the United Kingdom) the system combined child benefits of both the social and fiscal policy types. Benefit levels tended to be higher among countries that had included universal elements in the composition of the policy package. The average universal child benefit also tended to be more generous than the other benefit types. On this account, the fiscalization of child benefits might not be of greatest benefit for low-income families with children. In addition, the income gradient inherent in child tax credit programmes seemed to be a retreat back to the old forms of targeted approaches to family policy.
Source: Tommy Ferrarini, Kenneth Nelson, and Helena Hoog, The Fiscalization of Child Benefits in OECD Countries, Discussion Paper 38, GINI Project (European Commission)
Links: Paper
Date: 2012-Aug
An article developed a typology of different family policy systems in Europe and evaluated their impact on the employment strategy of mothers with care responsibilities for dependent children. It identified four different family policy models: extensive family policy, long parental leave, family care, and cash for care. For each model, different strategies were found for the take-up of employment by mothers with dependent children.
Source: Thomas Boje and Anders Ejrn s, 'Policy and practice: the relationship between family policy regime and women's labour market participation in Europe', International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, Volume 32 Issue 9/10
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Aug
A paper examined how social and economic conditions related to the health status of children using a retrospective survey for western Europe. Being born during a boom and growing up during a boom were detrimental for childhood health. The socio-economic status of the parents was positively associated with the health status of the child. Experiencing hunger, living without the father, and growing up with a parent who drank heavily were all negatively associated with childhood health.
Source: Viola Angelini and Jochen Mierau, Social and Economic Aspects of Childhood Health: Evidence from western-Europe, Paper 12002-EEF, Research Institute SOM, Faculty of Economics & Business, University of Groningen
Links: Paper
Date: 2012-Aug
A paper examined the link between welfare provision in European countries and the use of grandparents resources by working mothers.
Source: Valeria Bordone, Bruno Arpino, and Arnstein Aassve, Policy Perspectives of Grandparenting in Europe, Working Paper 51, Dondena Research Centre (Bocconi University, Milan)
Links: Paper
Date: 2012-Aug
A new book examined the status of children in the European Union. It analyzed the legal and policy framework underpinning children's rights across a range of areas, including family law, education, immigration, and child protection.
Source: Helen Stalford, Children and the European Union: Rights, welfare and accountability, Hart Publishing
Links: Summary
Date: 2012-Aug
An article examined the impact of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child on education policy in Europe. It said that the Convention was having an impact on domestic education policy, and that the child rights framework could be harnessed further by those seeking to influence government.
Source: Laura Lundy, 'Children s rights and educational policy in Europe: the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child', Oxford Review of Education, Volume 38 Number 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Aug
An article examined the relationship between individual-level housework conflict and country-level measures of divorce and women's bargaining power, using European Social Survey data. Both men and women reported more housework conflict in countries with higher rates of women's full-time labour force participation and divorce, and women reported less conflict in countries with higher rates of marriage.
Source: Leah Ruppanner, 'Housework conflict and divorce: a multi-level analysis', Work, Employment and Society, Volume 26 Number 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Aug
An article examined the financial impact of the birth of a child in 10 European countries (including the United Kingdom), and linked this outcome to specific family policies. The results indicated important differences between the countries studied.
Source: Sally Bould, Isabella Crespi, and Gunther Schmaus, 'The cost of a child, mother's employment behavior and economic insecurity in Europe', International Review of Sociology, Volume 22 Issue 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Jul
An article examined the dramatic fall in fertility rates in western Europe during the previous 50 years. As well as considering socio-political conditions and structural explanations, it was important to understand what was happening to interpersonal relationships within the couple. One aspect that had not been fully explored was the perceived justice of the division of childcare after the birth of the first child, and its impact on the decision to have a second child.
Source: Claudia Andrade and Sally Bould, 'Child-care burden and intentions to have a second child: effects of perceived justice in the division of child-care', International Review of Sociology, Volume 22 Issue 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Jul
A new book examined internet use by children in Europe. It considered the prospect of enhanced opportunities for learning, creativity, and communication – set against the fear of cyberbullying, pornography, and invasion of privacy by both strangers and peers.
Source: Sonia Livingstone, Leslie Haddon, and Anke Gorzig (eds), Children, Risk and Safety on the Internet: Research and policy challenges in comparative perspective, Policy Press
Links: Summary
Date: 2012-Jul
An article examined differences across Europe in attitudes towards divorce involving children under the age of 12. It was found that the lower the poverty rate among lone parents, and the higher enrolment in childcare, the lower the disapproval of divorce when young children were involved.
Source: Arieke Rijken and Aart Liefbroer, 'European views of divorce among parents of young children: understanding cross-national variation', Demographic Research, Volume 27
Date: 2012-Jul
A report said that the issue of child poverty remained a relatively minor and unaddressed issue in the Europe 2020 process. Most member states' National Reform Programmes (NRPs) did not prioritize it, and very few set targets for its reduction. Even when the issue was a priority the approach was often far too narrow, focusing just on labour market access and educational disadvantage but largely ignoring issues of income support and access to services. There was often little focus on those children most at risk of severe poverty and social exclusion, and policies to tackle educational disadvantage often did not sufficiently focus on those at greatest risk. There was also a lack of systematic links between the NRPs and the National Social Reports (NSRs). The expectation that the NSRs would provide an in-depth underpinning to the coverage of poverty and social exclusion issues in the NRPs had, so far, not been met.
Source: The 2012 National Reform Programmes (NRP) and the National Social Reports (NSR) from a Child Poverty and Well-Being Perspective, Eurochild
Links: Report | Eurochild press release
Date: 2012-Jul
A paper examined the link between welfare provision and use of grandparents resources for working mothers in Europe. A 'clear association' was found between the policy context of the country of residence and (daily) grandparenting.
Source: Valeria Bordone, Bruno Arpino, and Arnstein Aassve, Policy Perspectives of Grandparenting in Europe, Working Paper 51, Carlo F Dondena Centre for Research on Social Dynamics (Universita Bocconi, Milan)
Links: Paper
Date: 2012-Jul
An article said that European mothers' reliance on grandparental childcare was influenced by individual characteristics and the supply of formal childcare: but also by the normative climate in the region where they lived. Irrespective of the attitudes individually held, mothers in more 'conservative' regions were more inclined to use grandparents as the main source of childcare instead of formal alternatives.
Source: Maaike Jappens and Jan Van Bavel, 'Regional family norms and child care by grandparents in Europe', Demographic Research, Volume 27
Date: 2012-Jul
An article examined trends in time use in seven industrialized countries (including the United Kingdom) from the 1970s onwards. There had been general decreases in men's market work coupled with increases in men's unpaid work and childcare, and increases in women's paid work and childcare coupled with decreases in unpaid work. Trends in leisure inequality mirrored the general increase in income and earnings inequality experienced in most countries over this period, especially after the mid-1980s.
Source: Almudena Sevilla and Jose Ignacio Gimenez-Nadal, 'Trends in time allocation: a cross-country analysis', European Economic Review, Volume 56 Issue 6
Links: Abstract
See also: Jose Ignacio Gimenez-Nadal and Almudena Sevilla, Trends in Time Allocation: A cross-country analysis, Discussion Paper 547, Department of Economics, University of Oxford
Date: 2012-Jul
A new book examined the transition to parenthood, analyzing and comparing the biographies of mothers and fathers in seven European countries. It considered how policies and practices at the institutional level affected parents' daily experiences of juggling work and family life.
Source: Ann Nilsen, Julia Brannen, and Suzan Lewis (eds), Transitions to Parenthood in Europe: A comparative life course perspective, Policy Press
Links: Summary
Date: 2012-Jul
An article examined how employment hours influenced childcare time in European countries. Childcare hours were lowest in countries with relatively high parental employment rates but also short work-hour cultures. Employment associations with childcare were mediated not only by gendered work-hour cultures but also culturally distinct parenting ideologies.
Source: Liana Sayer and Janet Gornick, 'Cross-national variation in the influence of employment hours on child care time', European Sociological Review, Volume 28 Number 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Jul
An article examined the relationship between partnership status and subjective well-being in 45 European countries. Married individuals had the highest level of well-being, followed by (in order) cohabiting, dating, single, and finally widowed and divorced individuals. The author also examined to what extent the well-being gaps depended on the normative climate in which an individual lived. It was found that the normative climate appeared to hardly affect well-being gaps between partnership statuses: only the gap between divorced and married women was significantly wider in 'familialistic' societies.
Source: Ellen Verbakel, 'Subjective well-being by partnership status and its dependence on the normative climate', European Journal of Population, Volume 28 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Jun
A briefing presented preliminary results of a study on the role of grandparents in family life in Europe. Grandparents were more likely to be poor in terms of wealth than people of the same age who were not grandparents, with around 1 in 4 grandparents in the bottom 20 per cent of the wealth distribution.
Source: Karen Glaser and Giorgio di Gessa, Grandparenting in Europe: Main study – Preliminary Findings Briefing, Grandparents Plus
Links: Briefing | Grandparents Plus press release
Date: 2012-Jun
An article examined issues related to family law and family rights in Europe. It identified four separate 'models' for legislative approaches: the absolute nuclear family, the egalitarian nuclear family, the birth family, and the community family.
Source: Maria Isabel Garrido Gomez, 'Family law and family rights in question', Social and Public Policy Review, Volume 6 Issue 2
Links: Article
Date: 2012-Jun
An article sought to develop a typology of different family policy systems in Europe, and to evaluate their impact on the employment strategy of mothers with care responsibilities for dependent children. It identified four different family policy models: extensive family policy, long parental leave, family care, and cash for care. For each of the models different strategies were found for take-up of employment for mothers with dependent children.
Source: Thomas Peder Boje and Anders Ejrn s, 'Policy and practice – the relationship between family policy regime and women's labour market participation in Europe', International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, Volume 32 Issue 9/10
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Jun
An article examined whether European women who had children in unions married, and if so, at what stage in family formation. It also considered whether women who conceived when cohabiting were more likely to marry or separate. Patterns of union formation and childbearing developed along different trajectories across countries. In all countries, however, fewer than 40 per cent of women remained in cohabitation up to 3 years after the first birth, suggesting that marriage remained the predominant institution for raising children.
Source: Brienna Perelli-Harris, Michaela Kreyenfeld, Wendy Sigle-Rushton, Renske Keizer, Trude Lappegard, Aiva Jasilioniene, Caroline Berghammer, and Paola Di Giulio, 'Changes in union status during the transition to parenthood in eleven European countries, 1970s to early 2000s', Population Studies, Volume 66 Issue 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Jun
A new book examined market-based childcare in a range of advanced countries (including the United Kingdom). The rights of the child implied equal access to provision for all young children: but this was highly problematic, as parents paid for what they could afford, and parental income inequalities persisted or widened.
Source: Eva Lloyd and Helen Penn (eds.), Childcare Markets: Can they deliver an equitable service?, Policy Press
Links: Summary
Date: 2012-Jun
A new book examined marriage in the context of European migration studies.
Source: Katharine Charsley (ed.), Transnational Marriage: New perspectives from Europe and beyond, Routledge
Links: Summary
Date: 2012-Jun
A paper examined how far fertility trends responded to family policies in developed (OECD) countries over the period 1982-2007. Each instrument of the family policy package (paid leave, childcare services, and financial transfers) was found to have a positive influence, suggesting that the addition of these supports for working parents in a continuum during early childhood was likely to facilitate parents' choice to have children. Policy levers did not have similar weight, however: cash benefits covering childhood after the year of childbirth and the coverage of childcare services for children under age 3 had a larger potential influence on fertility than leave entitlements and benefits granted around childbirth.
Source: Angela Luci and Olivier Thevenon, The Impact of Family Policy Packages on Fertility Trends in Developed Countries, Working Paper 174, Institut National d Etudes Demographiques (Paris)
Links: Paper
Date: 2012-Jun
A report rated 31 European countries on their level of adoption, implementation, and enforcement of over 100 proven strategies and policies to prevent unintentional injury to children.
Source: Morag MacKay and Joanne Vincenten, Child Safety Report Card 2012: Europe summary for 31 countries, European Child Safety Alliance
Links: Report | EPHA press release
Date: 2012-Jun
An article examined how employed women perceived the reconciliation of work and family life in seven European countries (including Great Britain), and why women in certain countries were more successful in combining family responsibilities with paid work. The most important factors influencing employed women's perceptions were workload, the presence of children in the household, and part-time employment.
Source: Marina Hennig, Stefan Stuth, Mareike Ebach, and Anna Erika Hagglund, 'How do employed women perceive the reconciliation of work and family life? A seven-country comparison of the impact of family policies on women s employment', International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, Volume 32 Issue 9/10
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Jun
A report examined key developments and policy drivers relating to child poverty and social exclusion in Europe, and made suggestions for policy principles, an indicators-based monitoring framework, and governance, implementation, and monitoring arrangements by the European Commission.
Source: Tackling and Preventing Child Poverty, Promoting Child Well-Being, Social Protection Committee/European Commission
Date: 2012-Jun
An article said that family relationships did not have any special value compared with other close relationships. In the case of families with children, however, a high degree of commitment between adults might be useful or even necessary for advancing children's well-being. This could be a reason to give special protection to relationships between co-parents.
Source: Anca Gheaus, 'Is the family uniquely valuable?', Ethics and Social Welfare, Volume 6 Issue 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-May
An article examined country variation in the associations between motherhood and earnings, in cultural attitudes surrounding women's employment, and in childcare and parental leave policies. It looked at how cultural attitudes moderated the impact of policies on women's earnings across developed countries. Parental leave and public childcare were associated with higher earnings for mothers when cultural support for maternal employment was high: but they had less positive, or even negative, relationships with earnings where cultural attitudes supported the male breadwinner/female caregiver model.
Source: Michelle Budig, Joya Misra, and Irene Boeckmann, 'The motherhood penalty in cross-national perspective: the importance of work family policies and cultural attitudes', Social Politics: International Studies in Gender, State & Society, Volume 19 Number 2
Links: Abstract
See also: Michelle Budig, Joya Misra, and Irene Boeckmann, The Motherhood Penalty in Cross-National Perspective: The importance of work–family policies and cultural attitudes, Working Paper 542, Luxembourg Income Study
Date: 2012-May
A new book brought together empirical studies of the work-life nexus in developed countries – with a specific focus on men's working time arrangements, how men navigated and traversed paid work and family commitments, and the impact of public and organizational policies on men's participation in work, leisure, and other life domains.
Source: Paula McDonald and Emma Jeanes (eds.), Men, Wage Work and Family, Routledge
Links: Summary
Date: 2012-May
An article examined why adult children and their parents lived together in European countries, and the role of individual characteristics, family structures, and cultural contexts. Country comparisons showed that welfare state arrangements also had a substantial effect. Co-residence appeared to be a response to economic insecurities at both individual and societal levels.
Source: Bettina Isengard and Marc Szydlik, 'Living apart (or) together? Coresidence of elderly parents and their adult children in Europe', Research on Ageing, Volume 34 Number 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-May
A paper examined work/care policies in 15 European countries, focusing on how certain arrangements were supported through the public policies of different welfare states and whether this had changed over time. Although there was a trend towards the support of the dual-earner model, countries still differed in the extent of work/care reconciliation policies, and the pace and timing of political reforms. Moreover, hardly any country had an entirely coherent policy. Different countries prioritized certain instruments over others, irrespective of the notion they had of any specific work/care arrangement.
Source: Agnes Blome, Work/Care Policies in European Welfare States: Continuing variety or change towards a common model?, Discussion Paper 2011-401, Social Science Research Centre (Berlin)
Links: Paper
Date: 2012-May
A report examined progress made by the world's wealthiest countries in reducing child poverty and deprivation. Even though the United Kingdom had missed its own targets to reduce child poverty to 1.7 million children in 2010, it still had one of the largest reductions in child poverty after government intervention. But the report warned that coalition government policies since 2010 to reduce public spending meant that this progress would be reversed, and that more children would grow up in poverty.
Source: Peter Adamson, Measuring Child Poverty: New league tables of child poverty in the world s rich countries, UNICEF
Links: Report | UNICEF UK press release | OCC press release | Childrens Society press release | Labour Party press release | BBC report | Guardian report
Date: 2012-May
An article examined fears in a number of European countries that foreign, particularly Islamic, family law was becoming entrenched.
Source: Andrea Buchler, 'Islamic family law in Europe? From dichotomies to discourse – or: beyond cultural and religious identity in family law', International Journal of Law in Context, Volume 8 Issue 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-May
A paper examined different family size preferences in European countries and their link with actual fertility. It was found that around 30 per cent of women and men ended their reproductive career with fewer children than they had previously considered ideal, and that the difference between their mean ideal and actual family size was around 0.3 children. The people who were most optimistic about both their own life and their country's socio-economic situation were, on the one hand, childless persons and, on the other, those who had or would like to have large families with three or more children. This result, which contained an intrinsic contradiction, needed to be studied more thoroughly in further research.
Source: Maria Rita Testa, Family Sizes in Europe: Evidence from the 2011 Eurobarometer Survey, European Demographic Research Papers 2-2012, Vienna Institute of Demography
Links: Paper
Date: 2012-Apr
An article examined which family policies in developed countries were most effective at directly reducing poverty among families with children, and whether these policies indirectly reduced poverty through supporting mothers' employment. Significant effects were found of family allowances, generous parental leave, and childcare provision, with more powerful effects for lone mothers. Parental leave and childcare operated through boosting mothers' employment, illustrating that work-family policies were useful for reducing poverty by enhancing mothers' employment.
Source: Joya Misra, Stephanie Moller, Eiko Strader, and Elizabeth Wemlinger, 'Family policies, employment and poverty among partnered and single mothers', Research in Social Stratification and Mobility, Volume 30 Issue 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Apr
An article drew on the Luxembourg Income Study to examine child poverty across a diverse group of countries, as of 2004-2006. It synthesized past LIS-based research on child poverty, focusing on studies that aimed to explain cross-national variation in child poverty rates. It then looked at child poverty in 20 high- and middle-income countries. It assessed poverty among all households and among those with children, and using multiple poverty measures (relative and absolute, pre- and post-taxes and transfers). It investigated the effects of factors such as family structure, educational attainment, and labour market attachment – considering how the effects of these factors varied across counties. It then analyzed the extent to which cross-national variation in child poverty was explained by families' characteristics and/or by the effects of (or returns to) those characteristics.
Source: Janet Gornick and Markus Jantti, 'Child poverty in cross-national perspective: Lessons from the Luxembourg Income Study', Children and Youth Services Review, Volume 34 Issue 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Apr
A paper examined the impact of child benefits on the poverty risk of lone mothers in 15 European countries. Child benefits played a major role in complementing the household income of lone mothers: but the poverty-reducing impact differed greatly between countries, depending on the generosity and the design of the benefit system. Designing a system that was friendly to lone mothers did not necessarily come at a great cost. A well designed child benefit system had the potential to play a crucial role in strengthening women's autonomy.
Source: Wim Van Lancker, Joris Ghysels, and Bea Cantillon, An International Comparison of the Impact of Child Benefits on Poverty Outcomes for Single Mothers, Working Paper 12/03, Centre for Social Research (Antwerp University)
Date: 2012-Apr
An article examined patterns of public support related to childcare costs for low-income working families in industrialized countries. It identified four types of policy strategies ('conservative', 'limited', 'average', and 'universal'), suggesting differentiated social citizenship opportunities based on place of residence. It highlighted how a complex policy environment contributed to unintended consequences, as the 'working poor' were exposed to childcare and employment instability. Future research should consider how the policy environment contributed to material well-being in families during the life course.
Source: Lucy Porter Jordan, 'Examining cost fulfilment: child care policy and strategies', Journal of Social Service Research, Volume 38 Issue 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Apr
A new book examined the scale and nature of child poverty across the globe. It included chapters on the methodology of measuring child poverty and deprivation, child poverty in the European Union, and child poverty in the United Kingdom.
Source: Alberto Minujin and Shailen Nandy (eds.), Global Child Poverty and Well-Being: Measurement, concepts, policy and action, Policy Press
Links: Text of book | Summary
Notes: Individual chapters included: David Gordon and Shailen Nandy, 'Measurement and methodologies: measuring child poverty and deprivation' | Isabelle Engsted-Maquet, 'Enhancing the fight against child poverty in the European Union: an EU benchmarking exercise' | Ruth Levitas, 'Utopia calling: eradicating child poverty in the United Kingdom and beyond'.
Date: 2012-Apr
An article examined how occupational prospects affected first-birth decisions of men and women in Germany and the United Kingdom. It considered how welfare state alignment affected fertility rationales in the context of either promising or bleak occupational prospects. The results showed that welfare state orientations influenced work-family choices, leading to a delay of family formation among British and German women with a close labour market attachment. Furthermore, a lengthy process of occupational integration tended to hamper the transition to parenthood among both men and women, and particularly in Germany.
Source: Christian Schmitt, 'Labour market integration, occupational uncertainties, and fertility choices in Germany and the UK', Demographic Research, Volume 26
Date: 2012-Apr
A briefing paper presented an overview of international and regional instruments for the rights of the child, and of the European legal framework before and after the Lisbon Treaty. It provided an assessment of their impact for children's rights and put forward key recommendations to consolidate the European Union legal framework in this field.
Source: Emanuela Canetta, Nathalie Meurens, Paul McDonough, and Roberta Ruggiero, EU Framework of Law for Children s Rights, European Parliament
Links: Paper
Date: 2012-Apr
An article examined variations in the adoption of workplace work-family arrangements in European countries. Although the welfare state context was a significant explanatory factor, the adoption of workplace arrangements was more strongly related to organizational conditions and characteristics. However, when the development of work-family arrangements was mainly left to the market, employers did not fully make up for the absence of public provision. Public provision helped to create a normative climate that gave rise to new social expectations and 'a sense of entitlement' regarding work-family support.
Source: Laura den Dulk, Pascale Peters, and Erik Poutsma, 'Variations in adoption of workplace work family arrangements in Europe: the influence of welfare-state regime and organizational characteristics', International Journal of Human Resource Management, Volume Issue
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Apr
An article examined the role of social policies in mitigating work-family incompatibilities in 27 countries. It considered whether work-family conflict was reduced in countries that provided family-friendly policies and flexible employment arrangements, and whether women and men were similarly affected by such policies. There was considerable variation among countries in perceived work-family conflict. In all but two countries, women reported higher levels of conflict than men. At the individual level, working hours, the presence of children, and work characteristics affected the perception of conflict. At the macro level, childcare availability and to a certain extent maternity leave reduced women's and men's sense of conflict. Additionally, the availability of childcare facilities alleviated the adverse effect of children on work-family balance for mothers, while flexible job arrangements intensified this effect.
Source: Haya Stier, Noah Lewin-Epstein, and Michael Braun, 'Work-family conflict in comparative perspective: the role of social policies', Research in Social Stratification and Mobility, Volume 30 Issue 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Apr
An article examined variations in employed fathers' time with children ages 0-14, using time-use surveys from the United Kingdom, Germany, Norway, and the United States. There was some evidence of 'new fathers' on weekends in all countries. Fathers spent more time on interactive care and more time alone with children on weekends than on weekdays. But only Norwegian fathers had increased both their participation in (and time spent on) physical care: British and American fathers' time with children was more responsive to partners' employment.
Source: Jennifer Hook and Christina Wolfe, 'New fathers? Residential fathers time with children in four countries', Journal of Family Issues, Volume 33 Number 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Mar
A paper reviewed the key challenges faced by families in developed (OECD) countries in attempting to manage work and care responsibilities; and critically examined policy solutions and initiatives offered by governments, employers, and civil society actors to ensure work-family balance.
Source: Margaret O Brien, Work-Family Balance Policies, Centre for Research on the Child and Family (University of East Anglia)
Links: Paper
Date: 2012-Mar
An article examined trends in maternal contact in seven western countries (including Great Britain) between 1986 and 2001. There was no evidence that adult children's contact with mothers had become less frequent. In particular, contacts that did not require face-to-face interaction had increased, consistent with the diffusion of mobile phones and internet use.
Source: Judith Treas and Zoya Gubernskaya, 'Farewell to moms? Maternal contact for seven countries in 1986 and 2001', Journal of Marriage and Family, Volume 74 Issue 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Mar
A new book examined how much scope spouses should have to conclude agreements concerning their financial affairs – and under what circumstances such agreements should be binding and enforceable. It drew on a comparative study of the relevant law of England and Wales, Scotland, and 12 other (mainly European) countries..
Source: Jens Scherpe (ed.), Marital Agreements and Private Autonomy in Comparative Perspective, Hart Publishing
Links: Summary
Date: 2012-Mar
An article examined public policy on the family in developed (OECD) countries. The balance of underlying policy objectives varied between countries: in some, family policy was largely driven by concerns about persistently low birth rates, while in others such concerns were not considered to be within the public domain. Across the OECD policy-makers were concerned about child well-being and child development: but the intensity with which policy was driven by gender equity concerns varied considerably.
Source: Willem Adema, 'Setting the scene: the mix of family policy objectives and packages across the OECD', Children and Youth Services Review, Volume 34 Issue 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Mar
A new book presented a social theory of children's rights, from a cross-cultural perspective.
Source: Manfred Liebel, Children's Rights from Below: Cross-cultural perspectives, Palgrave Macmillan
Links: Summary
Date: 2012-Mar
An article examined self-rated health, non-employment, and potential synergy effects between them, among lone and couple mothers aged 25-59 in Britain, Sweden, and Italy. Non-employment only marginally contributed to the excess risk of poor health among lone mothers. But there were synergy effects between lone motherhood and non-employment in all three countries, producing a higher risk of poor health than would be expected from a simple addition of these exposures.
Source: Sara Fritzell, Francesca Vannoni, Margaret Whitehead, Bo Burstrom, Giuseppe Costa, Stephen Clayton, and Johan Fritzell, 'Does non-employment contribute to the health disadvantage among lone mothers in Britain, Italy and Sweden? Synergy effects and the meaning of family policy', Health and Place, Volume 18 Issue 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Mar
A paper examined child deprivation in Europe. It estimated the degree to which deprivation was experienced by children in 29 countries, using a child-specific scale. There were considerable differences between the countries involved. The (non-)overlap between child deprivation and child monetary poverty was considerable but limited. The results indicated where policy interventions could produce improvements.
Source: Chris de Neubourg, Jonathan Bradshaw, Yekaterina Chzhen, Gill Main, Bruno Martorano, and Leonardo Menchini, Child Deprivation, Multidimensional Poverty and Monetary Poverty in Europe, Working Paper 2012-02, UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre (Florence)
Links: Paper
Date: 2012-Mar
An article examined the increase in the period total fertility rate in Europe between 1998 and 2008. It said that the increase was largely explained by a decline in the pace of fertility postponement.
Source: John Bongaarts and Tomas Sobotka, 'A demographic explanation for the recent rise in European fertility', Population and Development Review, Volume 38 Issue 1
Links: Abstract
See also: John Bongaarts and Tomas Sobotka, Demographic Explanation for the Recent Rise in European Fertility: Analysis based on the tempo and parity-adjusted total fertility, European Demographic Research Papers 4, Vienna Institute of Demography
Date: 2012-Mar
A paper examined the role of states and regions in shaping spatial patterns of non-marital fertility in Europe. Variation in non-marital fertility levels had increased as a whole across Europe, and states continued to be important for determining these patterns. But the role of states relative to regions had declined in the latest period examined (1990-2007). Possible explanations for the changes included increased supranational integration, for example within the European Union, and decentralization within states leading to increases in variation in subnational contextual conditions.
Source: Sebastian Klusener, Brienna Perelli-Harris, and Nora Sanchez Gassen, Spatial Aspects of the Rise of Nonmarital Fertility Across Europe Since 1960: The role of states and regions in shaping patterns of change, Working Paper 2012-005, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (Rostock, Germany)
Links: Paper
Date: 2012-Feb
A paper examined whether and how predictors of fathers' participation in childcare differed from predictors of participating fathers' amount of time on childcare, drawing on data from 10 industrialised countries (including the UK) from 1987 to 2005.
Source: Nora Reich, Fathers Childcare: The difference between participation and amount of time, Research Paper 116, Hamburg Institute of International Economics
Links: Paper
Date: 2012-Feb
A new book examined whether the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child provided an appropriate framework for the protection and promotion of children s rights across different cultures.
Source: Thoko Kaime, The Convention on the Rights of the Child: A Cultural Legitimacy Critique, Europa Law Publishing
Links: Summary
Date: 2012-Feb
A paper examined how national parental leave arrangements related to fathers' participation in and time used for childcare, based on evidence for western European countries (and Canada). Duration of parental leave was found to have a positive impact on fathers' childcare participation.
Source: Nora Reich, Christina Boll, and Julian Sebastian Leppin, Fathers' Childcare and Parental Leave Policies: Evidence from western European countries and Canada, Research Paper 115, Hamburg Institute of International Economics
Links: Paper
Date: 2012-Feb
A paper introduced a collection of studies on how various dimensions of employment uncertainty, such as temporary working contracts and individual and aggregate unemployment, were related to the fertility and family formation of women and men in contexts across Europe.
Source: Michaela Kreyenfeld, Gunnar Andersson, and Ariane Pailhe, Economic Uncertainty and Family Dynamics in Europe, Working Paper 2012-006, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (Rostock, Germany)
Links: Paper
Date: 2012-Feb
A report examined future changes in family and household structures in developed (OECD) countries; identified what appeared to be the main forces shaping the family landscape over the period to 2030; discussed the longer-term challenges for policy arising from those expected changes; and suggested policy options for managing the challenges on a sustainable basis.
Source: The Future of Families to 2030, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Links: Summary
Date: 2012-Jan
An article examined differences in life satisfaction among children in different family structures in 36 western, industrialized countries. Children living with both biological parents reported higher levels of life satisfaction than children living with a lone parent or step-parent. Children in Nordic countries reported significantly higher levels of life satisfaction in all living arrangements except lone father households. Differences in economic inequality between countries moderated the association between certain family structures, perceived family affluence, and life satisfaction.
Source: Thoroddur Bjarnason, Pernille Bendtsen, Arsaell Arnarsson, Ina Borup, Ronald Iannotti, Petra Lofstedt, Ilona Haapasalo, and Birgit Niclasen, 'Life satisfaction among children in different family structures: a comparative study of 36 western societies', Children & Society, Volume 26 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Jan
A paper examined the continent-wide increase in the period total fertility rate experienced by European countries between 1998 and 2008. The upturn could largely be explained by a decline in the pace of fertility postponement and the resulting reduction in 'tempo' distortions.
Source: John Bongaarts and Tomas Sobotka, Demographic Explanation for the Recent Rise in European Fertility: Analysis based on the tempo and parity-adjusted total fertility, European Demographic Research Papers 4, Vienna Institute of Demography
Links: Paper
Date: 2012-Jan
