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Journal of European Social Policy
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The incomes of families with children: a cross-national comparison

Wendy Sigle-Rushton

London School of Economics, UK, W.Sigle-Rushton{at}lse.ac.uk

Jane Waldfogel

Columbia University School of Social Work, New York; London School of Economics, UK

Using data on seven countries, we estimate trajectories in family incomes for families with and without children following several stylized life-courses. Focusing mainly on women with a medium level of education, we find, in general, that gaps in family income are smallest in the Nordic countries, intermediate in the Anglo-American countries, and largest in the continental European countries. Our findings are similar to patterns observed in the literature on family gaps in women's earnings and suggest that differences in earnings and labour market participation between women with different family histories are the major driver in the gaps in gross and disposable incomes that we observe.

Key Words: comparative • income • family gap • parenthood • welfare states

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Journal of European Social Policy, Vol. 17, No. 4, 299-318 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/0958928707082474
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This Article
Right arrow Abstract Freely available
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Right arrow Articles by Waldfogel, J.
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What's this?