First the children, then the employed: deprivation and intra-household inequality in Europe

Abstract

Using data from 22 European countries this paper examines intra-household inequality between children and adults. Households allocate resources according to dynamic rules that consider age, gender, kinship and labor market participation. Parents and the unemployed are the most likely to experience deprivation. Extended co-residency is a helpful but limited strategy to reduce child poverty: extended households are more likely to protect children, but also to be poorer. The prioritization of children is nearly universal, with no evidence of an association between income or education and the prioritization of children. Individual deprivation data provide valuable information on intra-household inequality.