abstract: 'It is demonstrated that family policies are an important aspect of the

  institutional context of earnings inequality among coupled households.

  Although seldom integrated into prominent analyses of economic

  inequality, women''s earnings are consistently found to reduce relative

  inequality among households. This means that family policies, as

  well-known determinants of women''s employment and earnings, are

  important contextual determinants of economic inequality. Using

  Luxembourg Income Study data from 18 OECD countries in the period

  1981-2008, this study demonstrates that women have higher earnings, and

  that their earnings reduce inequality among coupled households more in

  institutional contexts with generous paid leave and public childcare. We

  found no sizeable association between financial support policies, such

  as family allowances and tax benefits to families with children, and the

  degree to which women''s earnings contribute to inequality among coupled

  households. Family policy arrangements that facilitate women''s

  employment and earnings are associated with less economic inequality

  among coupled households.'
affiliation: 'Nieuwenhuis, R (Corresponding Author), Stockholm Univ, Swedish Inst
  Social Res SOFI, Univ Svagen 10F, S-10691 Stockholm, Sweden.

  Nieuwenhuis, Rense, Stockholm Univ, Swedish Inst Social Res SOFI, Univ Svagen 10F,
  S-10691 Stockholm, Sweden.

  Need, Ariana, Univ Twente, Dept Publ Adm, Enschede, Netherlands.

  van der Kolk, Henk, Univ Twente, Dept Res Methodol Measurement \& Data Anal, Enschede,
  Netherlands.'
author: Nieuwenhuis, Rense and Need, Ariana and van der Kolk, Henk
author-email: rense.nieuwenhuis@sofi.su.se
author_list:
- family: Nieuwenhuis
  given: Rense
- family: Need
  given: Ariana
- family: van der Kolk
  given: Henk
da: '2023-09-28'
doi: 10.1177/0001699318760125
eissn: 1502-3869
files: []
issn: 0001-6993
journal: ACTA SOCIOLOGICA
keywords: 'Childcare; family policy; gender inequality; income inequality; paid

  leave; women''s earnings'
keywords-plus: 'WOMENS EMPLOYMENT; SOCIAL DISTRIBUTION; INCOME INEQUALITY; OECD

  COUNTRIES; WAGE PENALTY; CHILD-CARE; GENDER; WORK; CONSEQUENCES;

  MOTHERHOOD'
language: English
month: FEB
number: '1'
number-of-cited-references: '59'
orcid-numbers: Nieuwenhuis, Rense/0000-0001-6138-0463
pages: 64-80
papis_id: 9c1a4a1cf20f39ca748edcfd380fe645
ref: Nieuwenhuis2019familypolicy
researcherid-numbers: Nieuwenhuis, Rense/B-4986-2013
times-cited: '8'
title: Family policy as an institutional context of economic inequality
type: article
unique-id: WOS:000456737300006
usage-count-last-180-days: '2'
usage-count-since-2013: '26'
volume: '62'
web-of-science-categories: Sociology
year: '2019'