abstract: 'This paper discusses the potential of family policies to reconcile the

  multiple objectives that they are expected to serve, over and above

  their role in offsetting the economic cost of children. We start by

  emphasizing the need to consider the multiple challenges that family

  policies in European Union-and/or OECD-countries have to address through

  a broadening of the standard economic approach to the cost of children.

  Policies indeed aim to reduce the ``direct{''''} monetary cost of raising

  children, but they also aim to minimise the indirect cost arising from

  the incidence of children on the parents'' work-life balance and on the

  aggregate level of employment. Moreover, motives for policy intervention

  such as concerns about child development, gender equity or aggregate

  fertility levels are not fully captured by cost measurements. We thus

  analyse how, and to what extent, family policies can successfully

  reconcile these multidimensional objectives. We offer a holistic

  approach, pointing out that a coherent family policy mix supporting

  working parents with preschool children is the only way to reconcile or

  limit the conflicts between work, family and child outcomes. Three main

  dichotomies are identified to explain cross-country differences in

  family policy packages: the emphasis on poverty alleviation; the

  supposed antagonism between fertility and female employment; and the

  potential conflict between this latter and child development. Ways to

  reconcile these objectives and to improve the effectiveness and

  efficiency of family policies are further discussed.'
affiliation: 'Thevenon, O (Corresponding Author), INED, 133 Blvd Davout, F-75980 Paris
  20, France.

  Thevenon, Olivier, INED, F-75980 Paris 20, France.

  Thevenon, Olivier, OECD, Social Policy Div, F-75016 Paris, France.

  Luci, Angela, Univ Paris 01, Ctr Econ Sorbonne, Paris 13, France.'
author: Thevenon, Olivier and Luci, Angela
author-email: 'olivier.thevenon@ined.fr

  angela.luci@univ-paris1.fr'
author_list:
- family: Thevenon
  given: Olivier
- family: Luci
  given: Angela
da: '2023-09-28'
doi: 10.1007/s11113-012-9254-5
eissn: 1573-7829
files: []
issn: 0167-5923
journal: POPULATION RESEARCH AND POLICY REVIEW
keywords: 'Family policy; Costs of children; Child poverty; Women''s labour market

  participation; Fertility; Work-life balance'
keywords-plus: 'EARLY MATERNAL EMPLOYMENT; OECD COUNTRIES; FERTILITY; TIME; MOTHERHOOD;

  INEQUALITY; EDUCATION; EARNINGS; PARADOX; GENDER'
language: English
month: DEC
number: '6'
number-of-cited-references: '65'
pages: 855-882
papis_id: 46068ed51843eca37c67d8849ba24acb
ref: Thevenon2012reconcilingwork
times-cited: '23'
title: 'Reconciling Work, Family and Child Outcomes: What Implications for Family
  Support Policies?'
type: article
unique-id: WOS:000311510100004
usage-count-last-180-days: '6'
usage-count-since-2013: '73'
volume: '31'
web-of-science-categories: Demography
year: '2012'