A report examined the availability, quality, and affordability of out-of-school services for school-going children in European countries.
Source: Janneke Plantenga and Chantal Remery, Childcare Services for School Age Children: A comparative review of 33 countries, European Union Expert Group on Gender and Employment (European Commission)
Links: Report
Date: 2013-Sep
A report examined the impact of public policy on personal and household services (including childcare) in the European Union. It considered tools aimed at encouraging formal employment and discouraging undeclared work. It analyzed the impact of policy in terms of job creation, black market share, cost efficiency, and redistribution.
Source: Nicolas Farvaque (with Andrea Broughton, Stefanie Ledermaier, Melinda Kelemen, Eckhard Voss, and Martina Wagner), Developing Personal and Household Services in the EU: A focus on housework activities, European Commission
Links: Report
Date: 2013-Sep
A report said that more than 18 million children in Europe aged under 18 suffered from maltreatment. Child maltreatment was a leading cause of health inequality, linked to socio-economic disadvantage, and it perpetuated social injustice. Although the issue was nominally a priority in most countries in the European region, few devoted adequate resources and attention to its prevention.
Source: Dinesh Sethi, Mark Bellis, Karen Hughes, Ruth Gilbert, Francesco Mitis, and Gauden Galea (eds), European Report on Preventing Child Maltreatment, World Health Organisation (Regional Office for Europe)
Links: Report | WHO press release
Date: 2013-Sep
A report examined the extent to which child poverty and social exclusion featured in the 2013 National Reform Programmes (NRPs) of European Union member states. Overall the NRPs showed some modest improvements compared with the previous year: but the attention given to tackling child poverty and social exclusion still fell far short of what was necessary to achieve the Europe 2020 goal on reducing poverty and social exclusion, and to respond to the severe and growing impact of the economic crisis and austerity measures.
Source: Hugh Frazer, The 2013 National Reform Programmes (NRP) from a Child Poverty and Well-Being Perspective, Eurochild
Links: Report | Eurochild press release
Date: 2013-Sep
A new book examined the tensions between work and welfare in Europe with respect to fertility. It considered the importance of labour force attachment for young women's fertility plans, in the context of increased labour market flexibility and differences in work-life balance policies across Europe.
Source: Livia Olah and Ewa Fratczak (eds), Childbearing, Women's Employment and Work-Life Balance Policies in Contemporary Europe, Palgrave Macmillan
Links: Summary
Date: 2013-Sep
An article examined whether gender equality mattered for fertility in European countries. It said that gender equality needed to be conceptualized in a way that allowed for a distinction between gender difference and gender inequality. There was no uniform effect of gender equality on childbearing intentions.
Source: Gerda Neyer, Trude Lappegard, and Daniele Vignoli, 'Gender equality and fertility: which equality matters?', European Journal of Population, Volume 29 Number 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Aug
An article examined shared parenting in the European Union. Resolving the work-family conflict had hitherto focused on working mothers. But the question of shared parenting, and enabling all working parents to care, underpinned recent proposals to amend the Pregnant Workers Directive, and the revised Parental Leave Directive.
Source: Michelle Weldon-Johns, 'EU work-family policies – challenging parental roles or reinforcing gendered stereotypes?', European Law Journal, Volume 19 Issue 5
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Aug
A report examined how structural aspects of childcare and early education provision affected the longer-term educational achievement of children in 15 developed (OECD) countries plus the United Kingdom.
Source: Chris Pascal, Tony Bertram, Sean Delaney, and Carol Nelson, A Comparison of International Childcare Systems, Research Report 269, Department for Education
Links: Report
Date: 2013-Jul
A paper examined the effects that the lack of childcare and care facilities for other dependants had on the career choices and situation of young men and women in the labour market in Europe, with a particular focus on the effects of the crisis on the accessibility of those services.
Source: Daphne Ahrendt, Robert Anderson, Jean-Marie Jungblut, Daniel Molinuevo, Eszter Sandor, Adi Buxbaum, and Sybille Pirklbauer, Caring for Children and Dependants: Effect on Careers of Young Workers, European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions
Links: Paper
Date: 2013-Jul
A report by the European Commission said that most European Union countries had missed the targets agreed in 2002 for the availability and accessibility of childcare services. It called for greater investment in high-quality services.
Source: Barcelona Objectives: The development of childcare facilities for young children in Europe with a view to sustainable and inclusive growth, European Commission
Links: Report | EWL press release
Date: 2013-Jun
A report provided an overview of early childhood education and care provision in Scotland, England, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Slovenia, France, and the Netherlands. It considered national frameworks, guiding principles and objectives, governance, types of services, types of providers, funding and costs, systems of quality assurance, and access levels.
Source: Ingela Naumann, Caitlin McLean, Alison Koslowski, Kay Tisdall, and Eva Lloyd, Early Childhood Education and Care Provision: International Review of Policy, Delivery and Funding, Scottish Government
Links: Report | Scottish Government press release
Date: 2013-Jun
A paper examined the redistributive effect of public support in developed (OECD) countries to families with pre-school children, comparing cash benefits (e.g. child allowances) with 'in-kind' support (e.g. care services such as nurseries). On average, cash and in-kind transfers each constituted 7-8 per cent of the incomes of families with young children, and both instruments were redistributive. Cash transfers reduced child poverty by one-third. When services were accounted for, child poverty fell by one-quarter and poverty among children enrolled in childcare was more than halved.
Source: Michael Forster and Gerlinde Verbist, Money or Kindergarten? Distributive effects of cash versus in-kind family transfers for young children, ImPRovE Discussion Paper 13/04, Centre for Social Policy (Antwerp University)
Links: Paper
Date: 2013-Jun
A new book examined the relationship between changing gender identities and processes of family formation in western countries, including: asexual couples; child-free women and men; 'living apart together' couples; lone mothers and fathers; and homosexual and transsexual parents. It discussed the political implications of these emerging dimensions of family life.
Source: Elisabetta Ruspini, Diversity in Family Life: Gender, relationships and social change, Policy Press
Links: Summary
Date: 2013-Jun
A paper examined how the division of labour in two-parent households was associated with a fatherhood earnings premium in 14 mainly European countries (including the United Kingdom). Cross-national variation was found in the presence and size of the fatherhood premium. The premium frequently depended on the household division of labour: men with caregiver partners were mostly likely to receive it.
Source: Irene Boeckmann and Michelle Budig, Fatherhood, Intra-Household Employment Dynamics, and Men s Earnings in a Cross-National Perspective, Working Paper 592, Luxembourg Income Study
Links: Paper
Date: 2013-Jun
An article compared parenting support in England, France, Germany, and Italy. England had 'by far' the most extensive services to engage with parents, and was distinctive in terms of the extent to which 'support' meant intervention to (re)skill or (re)train parents through standardized parenting programmes. Elsewhere, 'support' had deeper roots in education for family and social life, and interventions tended to be more tailored and home-grown. However, there was evidence of a general move in the direction of greater state engagement with how parents reared their children and their competence in this role.
Source: Mary Daly, 'Parenting support policies in Europe', Families, Relationships and Societies, Volume 2 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Jun
A paper examined various underlying driving factors for the evolution of household earnings inequality for 23 developed (OECD) countries. Changes in labour market factors, in particular increases in men's earnings disparities, were identified as the main driver of household earnings inequality, contributing between one-third and one-half to the overall increase in most countries. Marital sorting and household structure changes also contributed, albeit moderately, to increasing household earnings inequality; whereas rising women's employment exerted a sizable equalizing effect.
Source: Wen-Hao Chen, Michael Forster, and Ana Llena-Nozal, Determinants of Household Earnings Inequality: The role of labour market trends and changing household structure, Working Paper 591, Luxembourg Income Study
Links: Paper
Date: 2013-Jun
A paper examined how the interplay between work-family policies and one-parent households affected poverty risk, using a multi-level analysis across 25 European countries. It concluded that work-family policies were not sufficient to reduce the poverty gap between one-parent and two-parent households, or between lone-mother and lone-father households. Some measures (such as improved access to childcare) did reduce households' poverty risk, but the effect on a reduction of the poverty gap was very limited. Paradoxically, higher female labour force participation appeared to raise the poverty risk, probably by pushing the median income upwards.
Source: Elisabeth Ugreninov, Bjorn Hvinden, and Viggo Nordvik, Can Work-Family Policies Reduce the Poverty Gap between One-Parent and Two-Parent Households? A multi-level analysis of child poverty across 25 European countries, Combating Poverty in Europe project (European Commission)
Links: Paper
Date: 2013-Jun
A new book examined inter-generational family relations in society, with a focus on Europe.
Source: Isabelle Albert and Dieter Ferring (eds), Intergenerational Relations: European perspectives in family and society, Policy Press
Links: Summary
Date: 2013-Jun
An article reported a study in Italy and the United Kingdom that found no support for the idea that cohabitation (as opposed to marriage) weakened inter-generational ties. No differences in parent-adult child contact between cohabiting and married individuals were found in the United Kingdom, and only to a very limited extent in Italy.
Source: Tiziana Nazio and Chiara Saraceno, 'Does cohabitation lead to weaker intergenerational bonds than marriage? A comparison between Italy and the United Kingdom', European Sociological Review, Volume 29 Number 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-May
An article examined how the transformation of party systems structured childcare policy in 'advanced' industrialized countries. Political parties contended with one another over childcare and female employment policy on the social-value dimension as well as the redistributive dimension. A government's redistributive left-right policy position interacted with its social liberal-conservative policy position. A left-liberal government raised its budget for childcare services, whereas a left-conservative government did not.
Source: Takeshi Hieda, 'Politics of childcare policy beyond the left right scale: post-industrialisation, transformation of party systems and welfare state restructuring', European Journal of Political Research, Volume 52 Issue 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-May
A new book examined the contemporary regulation of online risk for children in European countries, including whether such regulation was legitimate and whether it resulted in the sacrifice of certain fundamental human rights. Children had more rights with regard to their personal decision-making as digital consumers, yet fewer democratic rights to participation and protection as 'digital citizens'.
Source: Elisabeth Staksrud, Children in the Online World: Risk, regulation, rights, Ashgate Publications
Links: Summary
Date: 2013-May
An article examined the rise of non-marital fertility across Europe since 1960.
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', European Journal of Population, Volume 29 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-May
A study provided a preliminary overview of the wide range of policy concerns relating to surrogacy in Europe. It examined national and Europe-wide legal approaches to surrogacy. It said that it was impossible to indicate a particular legal trend across the European Union, but that all member states appeared to agree on the need for a child to have clearly defined legal parents and civil status.
Source: Laurence Brunet, Derek King, Julie McCandless, Janeen Carruthers, Konstantina Davaki, and Claire Marzo, A Comparative Study on the Regime of Surrogacy in EU Member States, European Parliament
Links: Report
Date: 2013-May
An article examined the intra-generational and inter-generational redistributional consequences of early intervention programmes aimed at improving children's health and well-being. It was found that the parents' generation lost whenever such programmes were implemented. Furthermore, the rich part of the children's generation always benefited. Despite the expectation that early intervention put poor descendants in a better position, they might be even worse off if the effect of early intervention on their productivity was not large enough.
Source: Tim Lohse, Peter Lutz, and Christian Thomann, 'Redistributional consequences of early childhood intervention', European Journal of Health Economics, Volume 14 Number 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Apr
A report compared child well-being in the world's richest countries. It puts the United Kingdom in 16th position out of 29 countries – an improvement since 2007, when it had been placed last out of 21 countries for overall child well-being. Teenage pregnancy rates in the UK continued to be high, as did the numbers of young people under 19 not in education, employment or training. The UK also had one of the highest alcohol abuse rates among young people aged 11-15. The report was based on data up to 2010, the last year of the former Labour governments (1997 2010).
Source: Peter Adamson, Child Well-Being in Rich Countries: A comparative overview, Innocenti Report Card 11, UNICEF
Links: Report | UNICEF UK press release | Childrens Society press release | CPAG press release | NAHT press release | YoungMinds press release | BBC report | Guardian report
See also background papers:
Luisa Natali and Chris de Neubourg, Child Well-Being in Advanced Economies in the Late 2000s, Working Paper 2013-01, UNICEF
Bruno Martorano, Chris de Neubourg, Luisa Natali, and Jonathan Bradshaw, Child Well-Being in Economically Rich Countries: Changes in the first decade of the 21st century, Working Paper 2013-02, UNICEF
Jonathan Bradshaw, Bruno Martorano, Luisa Natali, and Chris de Neubourg, Children's Subjective Well-Being in Rich Countries, Working Paper 2013-03, UNICEF (also the basis for: Jonathan Bradshaw, Bruno Martorano, Luisa Natali, and Chris de Neubourg, 'Children s subjective well-being in rich countries', Child Indicators Research, Online first)
Date: 2013-Apr
A paper examined the effect of the size of the welfare state on family outcomes in developed (OECD) countries. An expansion in the welfare state was found to increase fertility, marriage, and divorce rates – and therefore supported family formation. But the welfare state also decoupled marriage and fertility, thereby altering the organization of the family.
Source: Martin Halla, Mario Lackner, and Johann Scharler, Does the Welfare State Destroy the Family? Evidence from OECD member countries, Working Paper 150, Department of Economics, Vienna University of Economics and Business (Austria)
Links: Paper
Date: 2013-Apr
A report examined child poverty in a European context, its causes, and how it affected the lives of children and their families. The report challenged a range of myths and stereotypes relating to child poverty, and highlighted effective policy solutions that could help to fight child poverty – particularly in times of austerity and public spending cuts.
Source: Hugh Frazer, Towards Children's Well-Being in Europe: Explainer on child poverty in the EU, European Anti-Poverty Network/Eurochild
Links: Report
Date: 2013-Apr
A paper examined how welfare state policies were related to households' relative incomes for a range of European and north American countries between 1985 and 2005. It considered how two of the central factors that might be driving income inequality at the individual or household level – parental educational level and family structure – might be related to a household's relative income. Well established policy effects at the household or individual level did not necessarily translate into higher incomes for families with children relative to the overall distribution. Although family allowances might reduce the risk of poverty, they did not alter the financial realities of households with children relative to the overall income distribution. Households might have higher incomes, but family allowances did not noticeably alter where households with children fell in the overall income distribution.
Source: Stephanie Moller, Joya Misra, Elizabeth Wemlinger, and Eiko Strader, The Implications of Cross-National Policies for the Relative Incomes of Families with Children by Family Structure and Parental Education, Working Paper 588, Luxembourg Income Study
Links: Paper
Date: 2013-Apr
A paper examined patterns of money management and decision-making in couples living in European Union countries. Considerable heterogeneity was found in money management patterns. In the southern member states most couples pooled all their income, whereas in Finland and Austria income pooling occurred only in slightly more than half of couple households. The frequency of income pooling declined as the level of household income rose in all EU countries. Couples for whom work was traditionally divided between partners – that is, the man being employed and the woman being 'inactive' (mainly doing domestic work) – were more likely to apply the common pooling system. Couples with higher education were more likely to share decision-making over expensive purchases, borrowing money or the use of savings, whereas low-income couples were less likely to do so. In some countries men were more likely to be the dominant decision-maker, whereas in others it was women. Relative income levels of partners appeared to influence decision-making arrangements less than the level of income as such.
Source: Ildiko Nagy, Marton Medgyesi, and Orsolya Lelkes, The 2010 Ad Hoc EU SILC Module on the Intra-Household Sharing of Resources, Research Note 3/2012, Social Situation Observatory (European Commission)
Links: Paper
Date: 2013-Mar
A report examined parenting support services in Europe. It summarized the common challenges faced by all providers of parenting support, and made policy recommendations based on what had been observed to work in different countries.
Source: Daniel Molinuevo, Parenting Support in Europe, European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions
Date: 2013-Mar
A paper examined the distributional implications (within and between countries) of an illustrative child basic income (CBI) operated and funded at European Union level. A universal payment of 50 per month per child aged under 6 could take 800,000 children in this age group (and their families) out of poverty and would close the poverty gap of those remaining below the threshold by 6 per cent. Most member states and virtually all families with children aged under 6 would be net gainers.
Source: Horacio Levy, Manos Matsaganis, and Holly Sutherland, The Distributive and Cross Country Effects of a Child Basic Income for the European Union, Research Note 2/2012, Social Situation Observatory (European Commission)
Links: Research Note
Date: 2013-Feb
A paper examined policies in developed countries that focused on families with the aim of reducing overall poverty rates and family poverty in particular.
Source: Dominic Richardson and Jonathan Bradshaw, 'Family-oriented anti-poverty policies in developed countries', in Family-Oriented Policies for Poverty Reduction, Work-Family Balance and Intergenerational Solidarity, United Nations
Links: Paper
Date: 2013-Feb
An article examined the association between union dissolution and self-assessed health in European panel data. The negative association between dissolution and self-assessed health was not due to a general negative effect of divorce on health. Rather, after union dissolution self-assessed health improved among some individuals, while for others it declined. Compared with being in a union continuously, union dissolution seemed to cause increases and decreases in health. There was also evidence for a negative effect of self-assessed health on dissolution risks.
Source: Christiaan Monden and Wilfred Uunk, 'For better and for worse: the relationship between union dissolution and self-assessed health in European panel data', European Journal of Population, Volume 29 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Feb
The European Commission called on member states to prioritize social investment and to modernize their welfare states. It said that this meant improving the performance of active inclusion strategies, and a more effective use of social budgets. The social investment package included a Commission recommendation against child poverty, calling for an integrated approach to child-friendly social investment. A series of linked working documents examined the related issues of active inclusion policies, homelessness, long-term care, and investment in health.
Source: Towards Social Investment for Growth and Cohesion: Including implementing the European Social Fund 2014–2020, European Commission | Investing in Children: Breaking the cycle of disadvantage, European Commission
Links: Communication | Child poverty recommendation | Working documents (links) | European Commission press release | EAPN press release | EPHA press release | ETUC press release | Eurochild press release
Date: 2013-Feb
A study examined European cross-country differences in actual working hours and working time distribution by gender, employment status, household type, and life phase. It considered factors affecting the work-life balance of individuals and households; the gap between actual and preferred working time; and gender disparities across the life course in the time devoted to domestic and care obligations.
Source: Dominique Anxo, Christine Franz, and Angelika Kummerling, Working Time and Work-Life Balance in a Life Course Perspective: A report based on the fifth European Working Conditions Survey, European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions
Date: 2013-Feb
A new book examined what response the law had, or should have, to different family practices arising from cultural and religious beliefs, drawing on examples from a range of countries including England and Wales, Spain, Poland, and France.
Source: Mavis Maclean and John Eekelaar (eds), Managing Family Justice in Diverse Societies, Hart Publishing
Links: Summary
Date: 2013-Feb
An article examined the relationship between parents' education and the time devoted to childcare activities in Spain and the United Kingdom, with a focus on activities aimed at increasing the child's human capital. Mothers' education was associated with an increase in the time devoted to educational childcare by fathers in both countries, and with an increase in the time devoted to educational childcare by mothers in Spain. Fathers' education had no effect on the time devoted to educational childcare by either parent.
Source: Jose Ignacio Gimenez-Nadal and Jose Alberto Molina, 'Parents education as a determinant of educational childcare time', Journal of Population Economics, Volume 26 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Jan
A special issue of a journal examined international research evidence on child maintenance schemes in five countries (United Kingdom, United States of America, Iceland, Finland, and the Netherlands), and provided a comparative analysis.
Source: European Journal of Social Security, Volume 12 Number 4
Links: Table of contents
Date: 2013-Jan
An article examined how, why, and with what implications, considerations of children's needs were missing from the European Union's work-family reconciliation framework. The EU had failed to properly identify, let alone acknowledge or promote, children's interests in relation to work-family reconciliation. The author highlighted how children's well-being could be better incorporated into relevant policies and within the jurisprudence of the Court of Justice.
Source: Grace James, 'Forgotten children: work-family reconciliation in the EU', Journal of Social Welfare & Family Law, Volume 34 Number 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Jan
A report examined contemporary motherhood in western Europe. The average mother had only 48 minutes in each day when she did not have obligations to do something for other people; she spent an average of over four hours per day with her children in activities such as reading, writing, and playing. Husbands/partners contributed on average less than 50 minutes per day in the form of childcare and housework.
Source: The Changing Face Of Motherhood in Western Europe: Cross-cultural perspectives, Social Issues Research Centre
Date: 2013-Jan
A report examined the provision of sexuality education in the context of schooling and in the context of family planning facilities in 24 European Union member states. It highlighted issues in relation to sexual and reproductive health and rights.
Source: Karolina Beaumont and Marcia Maguire, Policies for Sexuality Education in the European Union, European Parliament
Links: Report
Date: 2013-Jan
A paper examined the child-centred investment strategy in European countries, under which the provision of childcare services was expected to increase maternal employment rates, further children's human capital, and mitigate social inequalities in early life. In order to be effective, childcare services should cover all social groups, in particular children from a disadvantaged background: but in nearly all countries this condition was not met. Childcare was often used at low or moderate levels, and children from low-income families participated to a much lesser extent than children from high-income families.
Source: Wim Van Lancker, Putting the Child-Centred Investment Strategy to the Test: Evidence for the EU27, Working Paper 12/13, Centre for Social Policy (Antwerp University)
Links: Paper
Date: 2013-Jan
A paper examined how leave policies in four countries (Australia, Denmark, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America) might influence fathers' behaviour when children were young, and whether their involvement translated into positive child cognitive and behavioural outcomes. Fathers who took leave, especially those taking two weeks or more, were found to be more likely to carry out childcare-related activities when children were young. There was some evidence that children with highly involved fathers tended to perform better in terms of cognitive test scores. Evidence on the association between fathers' involvement and behavioural outcomes was, however, weak.
Source: Maria del Carmen Huert, Willem Adem, Jennifer Baxter, Wen-Jui Han, Mette Lausten, RaeHyuck Lee, and Jane Waldfogel, Fathers' Leave, Fathers' Involvement and Child Development: Are They Related? Evidence from four OECD countries, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Links: Paper
Date: 2013-Jan
A report compared income tax burdens for one-earner families (married couples and single parents with two children) across developed (OECD) countries. United Kingdom income tax, as a percentage of gross wages, was greater than the OECD average at all income points considered. Furthermore, the disparity was greatest for low-income families.
Source: Alistair Pearson and David Binder, The Taxation of Families – International Comparisons 2011, CARE
Links: Report | CARE press release
Date: 2013-Jan
