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Child Well-Being and Sole-Parent Family Structure in the OECD: An Analysis

Author

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  • Simon Chapple

    (OECD)

Abstract

This paper addresses the causal impact of being raised in a sole-parent family on child well-being across the OECD. The question is answered by a cross-OECD meta-analysis and a literature review. There are widely varying rates of sole parenthood across the OECD. Rates of sole parenthood have generally been rising in the past few decades. Inevitably, countries with higher rates of sole parenthood are more concerned about the potential well-being effects on children. The reasons for sole parenthood include never having partnered, having separated and divorced, and being widowed. The composition of sole parents by these reasons varies widely across OECD countries. Views on the desirability of two-parent families for raising children are also divergent across the OECD. Ce document examine l’impact de l’appartenance à une famille monoparentale sur le bien-être des enfants dans les pays de l’OCDE. Il marque l’aboutissement d’une méta-analyse et d’un examen des travaux publiés sur le sujet dans ces différents pays. Le taux de monoparentalité varie considérablement d’un pays de l’OCDE à l’autre. D’une manière générale, ce taux a augmenté au cours des toutes dernières décennies. Bien évidemment, les pays où ce taux est élevé se préoccupent plus que les autres des effets possibles de la monoparentalité sur les enfants en termes de bien-être. Les causes de monoparentalité incluent le fait de ne jamais avoir vécu en couple, la séparation, le divorce et le veuvage. C’est la raison pour laquelle la composition des familles monoparentales est extrêmement variable d’un pays de l’Organisation à l’autre. Sur le point de savoir s’il est souhaitable que les enfants soient élevés par leurs deux parents, les avis diffèrent également selon les pays. La méta-analyse de 122 études de pays de l’OCDE hors États-Unis conclut qu’en moyenne, les effets préjudiciables de la monoparentalité sur le bien-être des enfants sont faibles, constat grosso modo conforme à celui de méta-analyses antérieures, fondées en grande partie sur des études américaines. Plus l’étude est de bonne qualité, plus la taille de l’effet constaté est faible. La taille des effets varie également d’un pays de l’Organisation à l’autre mais il n’a pas été possible de rattacher systématiquement ce phénomène à des différences de politique. Quoi qu’il en soit, si les effets sont faibles, toute interprétation de causalité doit impérativement s’appuyer sur des hypothèses solides.

Suggested Citation

  • Simon Chapple, 2009. "Child Well-Being and Sole-Parent Family Structure in the OECD: An Analysis," OECD Social, Employment and Migration Working Papers 82, OECD Publishing.
  • Handle: RePEc:oec:elsaab:82-en
    DOI: 10.1787/225407362040
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    Cited by:

    1. Silvia Meggiolaro & Fausta Ongaro, 2015. "Non-resident parent-child contact after marital dissolution and parental repartnering: Evidence from Italy," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 33(40), pages 1137-1152.
    2. Rainer Eppel & Thomas Leoni, 2011. "New Social Risks Affecting Children. A Survey of Risk Determinants and Child Outcomes in the EU," WIFO Working Papers 386, WIFO.
    3. Tony Fahey & Patricia Keilthy, 2013. "Absent fathers, absent siblings: Two sides of lone parenthood for children," Working Papers 201303, Geary Institute, University College Dublin.
    4. Becky Pettit & Jennifer Hook, 2015. "Reproducing Occupational Inequality: Motherhood and Occupational Segregation," LIS Working papers 481, LIS Cross-National Data Center in Luxembourg.
    5. Kieron J. Barclay & Martin Hällsten, 2019. "Socioeconomic variation in child educational and socioeconomic attainment after parental death in Sweden," MPIDR Working Papers WP-2019-008, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany.
    6. Michael Gähler & Eva-Lisa Palmtag, 2015. "Parental Divorce, Psychological Well-Being and Educational Attainment: Changed Experience, Unchanged Effect Among Swedes Born 1892–1991," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 123(2), pages 601-623, September.
    7. Meyer, Daniel R. & Skinner, Christine & Davidson, Jacqueline, 2011. "Complex families and equality in child support obligations: A comparative policy analysis," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 33(10), pages 1804-1812, October.
    8. Stefan Bauernschuster & Rainald Borck, 2016. "Formal Child Care and Family Structure: Theory and Evidence," CESifo Economic Studies, CESifo Group, vol. 62(4), pages 699-724.
    9. Anna Baranowska-Rataj & Anna Matysiak & Monika Mynarska, 2012. "Does Lone Motherhood Decrease Women’s Subjective Well-Being? Evidence from Qualitative and Quantitative Research," Working Papers 48, Institute of Statistics and Demography, Warsaw School of Economics.
    10. Adema, Willem, 2012. "Setting the scene: The mix of family policy objectives and packages across the OECD," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 34(3), pages 487-498.
    11. Stritzel, Haley & Green, Michael & Crosnoe, Robert, 2022. "A cross-national comparison of the linkages between family structure histories and early adolescent substance use," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 315(C).
    12. Petra Rattay & Elena von der Lippe & Elvira Mauz & Felicitas Richter & Heike Hölling & Cornelia Lange & Thomas Lampert, 2018. "Health and health risk behaviour of adolescents—Differences according to family structure. Results of the German KiGGS cohort study," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(3), pages 1-19, March.
    13. Tony Fahey, 2014. "Family Size as a Social Leveller for Children in the Second Demographic Transition," Working Papers 201413, Geary Institute, University College Dublin.
    14. G. Ribes-Giner & I. Moya-Clemente & R. Cervelló-Royo & M. R. Perello-Marin, 2019. "Wellbeing indicators affecting female entrepreneurship in OECD countries," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 53(2), pages 915-933, March.
    15. Apolinaras Zaborskis & Aistė Kavaliauskienė & Charli Eriksson & Elitsa Dimitrova & Joana Makari, 2022. "Family Structure through the Adolescent Eyes: A Comparative Study of Current Status and Time Trends over Three Decades of HBSC Study," Societies, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-16, May.
    16. Stefan Bauernschuster & Rainald Borck, 2012. "The Effect of Child Care on Family Structure: Theory and Evidence," CESifo Working Paper Series 3763, CESifo.
    17. Christine Mayrhuber & Julia Bock-Schappelwein & Eva Rückert, 2012. "Neue soziale Risiken in Österreich im europäischen Vergleich," WIFO Studies, WIFO, number 45118.
    18. Anna Baranowska-Rataj & Anna Matysiak & Monika Mynarska, 2014. "Does Lone Motherhood Decrease Women’s Happiness? Evidence from Qualitative and Quantitative Research," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 15(6), pages 1457-1477, December.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • J12 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Marriage; Marital Dissolution; Family Structure
    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth

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