Dual-Earner Family Policies at Work for Single-Parent Families

Family dynamics are changing and single-parent families are becoming more common across countries. In their flagship report “Progress of the World’s Women, 2019–2020,” UN Women (2019) demonstrated that, contrary to popular belief, couples with children do not constitute a majority of all families, but rather there are many different types of families. Single parenthood is considered a “new social risk” in poverty and inequality (Bonoli, 2013). Therefore, policy makers and legislators have designed targeted policy specifically for single parents, such as targeted child benefits to single parents. In addition, legislation and social policy have been designed and implemented specifically for single parents, such as child support and family law such as child custody and shared residence. This study takes a different approach, based on the universalist argument that without adequate social protection that benefits all families, those families that are more vulnerable are often hit the hardest. We focus on family policies, and specifically we examine whether and to what extent single parents benefit from the same family policies that are available to all families with children

Family demography and income inequality in West Germany and the United States

Income inequality has grown in many countries over the past decades. Single country studies have investigated how trends in family demography, such as rising female employment, assortative mating and single parenthood, have affected this development. But the combined effects have not been studied sufficiently, much less in a comparative perspective. We apply decomposition and counterfactual analyses to Luxembourg Income Study data from the 1990s and 2000s for West Germany and the USA. We counterfactually analyse how changes in the distribution of men’s and women’s education, employment and children across households between the 1990s and 2000s affected overall inequality (Theil index). We find that changes in family demography between the 1990s and the 2000s explain inequality growth in West Germany but not in the USA, where the effects of gendered changes in education and employment offset each other. In West Germany, changes in the distribution of household types, and particularly changes in men’s employment and education, contributed to increases in income inequality. The country differences in the relationship between changes in family demography and inequality growth reflect how the decline in men’s and the growth in women’s employment played out differently in the weakening male breadwinner context in West Germany and in the universal breadwinner context in the USA

Family demography and income inequality in West Germany and the United States

Income inequality has grown in many countries over the past decades. Single country studies have investigated how trends in family demography, such as rising female employment, assortative mating and single parenthood, have affected this development. But the combined effects have not been studied sufficiently, much less in a comparative perspective. We apply decomposition and counterfactual analyses to Luxembourg Income Study data from the 1990s and 2000s for West Germany and the USA. We counterfactually analyse how changes in the distribution of men’s and women’s education, employment and children across households between the 1990s and 2000s affected overall inequality (Theil index). We find that changes in family demography between the 1990s and the 2000s explain inequality growth in West Germany but not in the USA, where the effects of gendered changes in education and employment offset each other. In West Germany, changes in the distribution of household types, and particularly changes in men’s employment and education, contributed to increases in income inequality. The country differences in the relationship between changes in family demography and inequality growth reflect how the decline in men’s and the growth in women’s employment played out differently in the weakening male breadwinner context in West Germany and in the universal breadwinner context in the USA

‘Only a Husband Away from Poverty’? Lone Mothers’ Poverty Risks in a European Comparison

Over the last 10 years at-risk-of-poverty rates across Europe have been rather stable or rising only slightly. However, certain demographic groups face comparatively high poverty risks. Lone mothers belong usually to the most affected groups by income poverty - but variations are striking. Though, still little research has been done for explaining this vast variation across Europe. It is argued that institutional arrangements in the labor market and the welfare state shaped by existing gender inequalities have an impact on lone mothers' poverty risks. For instance, in countries where women’s access to (full time) paid work is low and/or the gender pay gap is high, lone mothers are particularly disadvantaged due to the absent (male) partner. Furthermore, the lack of public childcare and a gendered eligibility to social benefits aggravate lone mothers’ poverty risk. I also hypothesize that gendered institutional arrangements mediate the effect of individual characteristics on lone mothers' poverty risks - namely the poverty-reducing effect of employment and the poverty-enhancing effect of children. To prove these hypotheses empirically, I compare 25 European countries running several multi-level models based on pooled EU-SILC data (2009-2012). Results show that existing gender inequalities - particularly the access to full time employment for women and gender-specific welfare eligibility - indeed account for country differences in the level of lone mothers' poverty risk. Furthermore, there is empirical evidence that gender inequalities in the labor market shape the poverty-reducing effect of full time employment. Other specific mechanisms modeled in form of cross-level interactions cannot be supported by the data

The future of fashion films in augmented reality and virtual reality

This chapter provides insights in the future of fashion film with respect to augmented reality and virtual reality technologies. The question: How does augmented reality and virtual reality influence the future of fashion film? is therefore considered. It is important to analyze the influence of those technologies on fashion films to assess the potential for fashion retailers and in best case gain first-mover advantages. To answer the stated research question, a literature research was conducted to gain insights about the topic and its influence towards fashion filming. Explanation of augmented reality and virtual reality is provided as well as implications in the retail sector regarding fashion films. Moreover, company examples already using this approach have been compiled. Furthermore, an empirical research part was conducted including a survey method based on an online survey design. The questionnaire is based on what has been revealed in literature to gain in depth insides and approval. The data gained indicated that augmented reality and virtual reality influence the future of fashion film in various ways. The findings highlight how important those technologies can be in order to enhance customer experience and engagement. Regarding the research question, the conclusion can be drawn that it is highly important for fashion managers to take future developments like augmented reality and virtual reality into account to stay competitive and satisfy the requirements of modern consumers

Telethrone reconstructed; ongoing testing toward a more natural situated display

The concept of supporting ad hoc or dynamic membership tele-present meetings through pulling up a chair is novel. In real world business situations, people pull up a chair after catching the eye of someone already seated. Telethrone is a situated display on a chair which allows multiple correct views of a remote collaborator. The system has been expanded to support informal meetings where chairs can be moved around. This is facilitated through the novel integration of a 3D reconstructed model of a person, with live viewpoint dependent rendering onto a retro-reflective surface. This removes the need for painstaking alignment of multiple cameras and projectors each time a chair is moved. A between subjects experiment tested accuracy of reconnected mutual gaze mediated by part of the system. Subjectively easier and harder situations are compared. Specifically best and worst cases, both in terms of orientation of eyes in the reconstructed head, and angle of observer gaze onto the display. Discussion compares results to experiments that used other systems to attempt to convey eye gaze by different techniques. This research builds toward a scalable system for ad hoc business meetings; a paradigm poorly supported by current video conferencing. It is also applicable to supporting conversations between seated people in any scenario where seats might be moved, for example in interaction between client and therapist in tele-therapy

Migrant Status and Lone Motherhood – Risk Factors of Female Labour Force Participation in Switzerland

Compared to non-migrant mothers in couples, migrant lone mothers face a much higher risk of being out of the labour market, given that both lone motherhood and international migration have been shown to be strongly related to non-employment. In this chapter, we analyse the labour force participation of immigrant women and non-migrants living in Switzerland, and compare them by distinguishing between mothers in couples and lone mothers. We use data from the Swiss Labour Force Survey (wave 2008; N = 6814). These data allow us to account for intra-group variation among the immigrants by distinguishing them by their migrant generation and their country of origin. The analyses include women aged 20–54 who were living with at least one child under age 18. The dependent variable in the multinomial regression analyses is employment status, differentiating between full-time employment, long and short part-time employment, and non-employment. Results indicate that lone motherhood prevalence is similar among migrant and Swiss mothers (11%). In both groups, lone mothers are less likely to be in employment than mothers in couples. However, we find variation among lone mothers by migrant status: migrants have a higher non-employment rate overall. Among the employed women, migrant lone mothers tend to work full time, whereas non-migrant lone mothers tend to work part time. For lone mothers being an international migrant is therefore associated with an increased risk not only of being out of the labour force, but also of facing difficulties linked to work-family reconciliation. These results are relevant for the design of appropriate policies for migrants, lone parents, and work-family reconciliation, particularly in a societal context like Switzerland, where child care services are insufficient and the number of mothers who work full time is relatively small