The impact of young motherhood on education, employment and marriage

The poor socio-economic outcomes of women who have their first child when young are well documented. However, the policy implications of this association depend upon the causal mechanisms that underlie it. Recent studies in the US and UK have used miscarriage as an instrument to identify the direct causal impact of young childbearing – with US research suggesting that early child-bearing may even have a beneficial impact upon mother’s outcomes. This paper uses this method to examine this issue for a new Australian panel of young women. No evidence is found for an adverse impact of young childbirth on education, labour market, income or location. Instead these outcomes follow the patterns that might be expected on the basis of selection effects. On the other hand, young motherhood does have an impact on partnering outcomes. Being a young mother reduces the likelihood of being legally married (instead of defacto partnered) when aged in the late 20s. Also, having a child in the early rather than late 20s leads to a greater likelihood of being a lone parent at around age 30.teenage mothers; miscarriage

The Price, Cost, Consumption and Value of Children

Though they are related, the price, cost, consumption and value of children are not the same. This paper explores two aspects of the relationship between these concepts. Even if we restrict attention to the domain of commodity consumption, the cost of children is not the same as children's consumption. In this context, the cost of children to their parents is often described with a consumer equivalence scale. It is shown here that, under reasonable assumptions, children's consumption of market goods is less than the‚ 'equivalent income' of the household, but more than the‚ 'cost of children. Expenditure costs, however, are only part of the cost of children. This paper uses a variant of the 'adult goods' method to estimate the full costs of children, including both expenditure and time costs. Adult personal time (comprising pure leisure, sleep and other personal care) is used as the adult good. Preliminary estimates using Australian data suggest a very large cost of children. The paper discusses the limitations of the estimation approach and considers the broader welfare implications of these costs.consumer equivalence scales, cost of children, intra-household allocation

The Price, Cost, Consumption and Value of Children

Though they are related, the price, cost, consumption and value of children are not the same. This paper explores two aspects of the relationship between these concepts. Even if we restrict attention to the domain of commodity consumption, the cost of children is not the same as children's consumption. In this context, the cost of children to their parents is often described with a consumer equivalence scale. It is shown here that, under reasonable assumptions, children's consumption of market goods is less than the 'equivalent income' of the household, but more than the 'cost of children'. Expenditure costs, however, are only part of the cost of children. This paper uses a variant of the 'adult goods' method to estimate the full costs of children, including both expenditure and time costs. Adult personal time (comprising pure leisure, sleep and other personal care) is used as the adult good. Preliminary estimates using Australian data suggest a very large cost of children. The paper discusses the limitations of the estimation approach and considers the broader welfare implications of these costs.Consumer equivalence scales Time use Children's consumption Cost of children Adult goods

Using Time-Use Data to Estimate the Full Costs of Children

This paper uses the 'adult goods' method to estimate the full costs of children. Full costs include both expenditure and time costs. Adult personal time (comprising pure leisure, sleep and other personal care) is used as the adult good. Previous research has shown that the presence of children in the household leads to a reduction in adult personal time. This paper develops a simple household economic model to show how this information can be used to develop an equivalence scale for adult consumption which takes account of both the expenditure and time costs of children. Preliminary estimates using Australian data suggest a very large cost. A couple with two children (one of which is in pre-school) require an income around 2.7 times as large as a couple with no children in order for the adults to have the same consumption level. The full cost of children appears to decline with age (despite the expenditure cost rising). The paper discusses the limitations of the adult good method and considers the broader welfare implications of these costs while taking into account the benefits that parents obtain from parenthood.consumer equivalence scales, cost of children, time-use, adult goods

Child Poverty Dynamics in Seven Nations

Der vorliegende Beitrag vergleicht die Armutsdynamik bei Kindern mithilfe von Paneldaten aus sieben Ländern: USA, Großbritannien, Deutschland, Irland, Spanien, Ungarn und Russland. Neben der Verwendung von Standard- Definitionen zur Erfassung relativer Armut, werden die Übergänge in und aus dem untersten Einkommensquintil bei Kindern untersucht. In den sieben untersuchten Ländern zeigt sich eine signifikante (aber keine völlige) Übereinstimmung in den Mustern von Einkommensmobilität und Armutsdynamik. Die Ausnahme ist Russland, wo der ökonomische Wandel zu einem wesentlich höheren Mobilitätsgrad geführt hat. Interessanterweise weisen die USA - das Land mit dem höchsten Anteil relativer Armut unter den reichen Ländern - eine Mobilitätsrate auf, die unter der der anderen Nationen liegt. This paper compares child poverty dynamics cross-nationally using panel data from seven nations: the USA, Britain, Germany, Ireland, Spain, Hungary and Russia. As well as using standard relative poverty definitions the paper examines flows into and out of the poorest fifth of the children's income distribution. We find significant (but not total) uniformity in patterns of income mobility and poverty dynamics across the seven countries. The key exception is Russia, where the economic transition has led to a much higher degree of mobility. Interestingly, the USA, which has the highest level of relative poverty among the rich nations, has a mobility rate which, if anything, is less than that of the other nations.

Tax Theory and Targeting: A Survey

In many countries, the targeting of income transfer schemes leads to a very high effective marginal tax rate on private income. How can the equity goals associated with targeting be made consistent with the maintenance of labour supply incentives? This paper reviews the inevitable trade-offs facing income-tested tax-transfer systems, and then goes on to examine the conclusions of a growing body of economic analysis of these questions. This analysis, growing out of the literature on ‘optimal income taxation' seeks to provide a framework for a balancing of the conflicting efficiency and equity issues involved in income-based redistribution. Though existing research is not able to provide firm guidelines to policy, there are valuable insights - particularly from research that has begun to incorporate the administrative features of programs. These have major implications for the structure of income testing. Insofar as activity testing increases labour supply, one might argue for the use of a higher benefit withdrawal rate - since this permits a lower tax rate at other points in the distribution without defeating equity objectives. At the same time, economic theory has yet to seriously analyse the diversity of social goals in this area. Different social evaluations of the value of ‘leisure’ may have important implications for policy

The impact of young motherhood on education, employment and marriage

The poor socio-economic outcomes of women who have their first child when young are well documented. However, the policy implications of this association depend upon the causal mechanisms that underlie it. Recent studies in the US and UK have used miscarriage as an instrument to identify the direct causal impact of young childbearing – with US research suggesting that early child-bearing may even have a beneficial impact upon mother’s outcomes. This paper uses this method to examine this issue for a new Australian panel of young women. No evidence is found for an adverse impact of young childbirth on education, labour market, income or location. Instead these outcomes follow the patterns that might be expected on the basis of selection effects. On the other hand, young motherhood does have an impact on partnering outcomes. Being a young mother reduces the likelihood of being legally married (instead of defacto partnered) when aged in the late 20s. Also, having a child in the early rather than late 20s leads to a greater likelihood of being a lone parent at around age 30

Middle Class Welfare in Australia?

The main focus of this report is the question, ‘To what extent are welfare transfers and services in Australia directed towards the ‘middle class’’? However, this question makes most sense when understood in the context of the wider debate about whether such middle class welfare is desirable. Consequently, the report commences with a discussion of the role of the state in providing or funding `welfare services' in mixed economy societies like Australia. ‘Welfare’ is defined here to include government support in cash or kind provided to individuals and households. This includes education, health, social security and welfare, housing and community services, as well as the tax expenditures in these areas. The report focuses upon the most important components of these: education, health, and social security, together with superannuation tax expenditures

The impact of young motherhood on education, employment and marriage

The poor socio-economic outcomes of women who have their first child when young are well documented. However, the policy implications of this association depend upon the causal mechanisms that underlie it. Recent studies in the US and UK have used miscarriage as an instrument to identify the direct causal impact of young childbearing – with US research suggesting that early child-bearing may even have a beneficial impact upon mother’s outcomes. This paper uses this method to examine this issue for a new Australian panel of young women. No evidence is found for an adverse impact of young childbirth on education, labour market, income or location. Instead these outcomes follow the patterns that might be expected on the basis of selection effects. On the other hand, young motherhood does have an impact on partnering outcomes. Being a young mother reduces the likelihood of being legally married (instead of defacto partnered) when aged in the late 20s. Also, having a child in the early rather than late 20s leads to a greater likelihood of being a lone parent at around age 30