Familieneinkommen als neue Normalität?

The objective of this article is to examine whether male and female standard employees are able to exceed the poverty line or to reach an average standard of living in the household with their earnings or if they also have to rely on partner income and/ or transfers. The analyses are differentiated by family form. The results illustrate the persistence of gender-specific and regional wage differences: Only in west Germany do the majority of men earn a wage which is high enough to protect their families from poverty. Women and men in east Germany commonly depend on a family income, which consists of two wage incomes and social transfers, in order to keep above the poverty line. To reach an average standard of living in households with children even male employees in west Germany depend on such a family income. Childless couples are the group which achieves this prosperity level most often; single parents hardly ever do so. The results point to rarely discussed aspects with respect to the realization of an egalitarian family model as well as the setting of minimum wage standards.