Worst-Off: single-parent families in the US Policy and Poverty in 45 Countries Laurie C. Maldonado Stone Center on Socio-Economic Inequality Graduate Center, City University of New York

Key Message: Focus is on single-parent families and coupled-parent families, and policies and poverty associations in 45 countries Impact of taxes and transfers on reducing poverty. Atkinson’s “Inequality: what can be done”, advocating for “the importance of measures to render less unequal the incomes people receive before government taxes and transfers” (2015, p. 113) Therefore, this study examined not only redistribution but also work-family policies that perhaps render the work place more equal for families with children.

Data Micro level data at person and household level Luxembourg Income Study Database Micro level data at person and household level 45 countries, most recent dataset (2000-2013) 373,032 Households with Children Single-parent households and coupled-parent households Poverty: 50% median equivalized disposable household income Redistribution & Family Transfers Policy Associations: The World Policy Analysis Center Family Benefit Design Paid maternity leave Leave for both parents Paid annual leave Guaranteed hours of rest Leave for sick/ Leave for sick child

Method Comparing Income Pre/Post taxes and transfers emphasis on family transfer Poverty and Policy Associations Family policies

Redistribution of taxes and transfers plays an important role for single-parent families

Family Transfers are particularly effective

Going Global: Family Benefit Scheme The WORLD Policy Analysis Center

Family benefit design

Going Global: Paid Leave for New Mothers Australia 2013 The WORLD Policy Analysis Center

Maternity Leave

Going Global: Paid Leave for Both Parents Australia, Papua New Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, United States The WORLD Policy Analysis Center

Leave for both parents

Guaranteed hours of rest from work week Going Global: Working time regulations Guaranteed hours of rest from work week Paid annual leave The WORLD Policy Analysis Center

Rest leave

Annual Leave

Sick Leave

Leave to care for sick child

Results Using data from LIS and The World Policy Analysis Center to tell a comparative story for single-parent families Policies matter and are important Redistribution, in particular family transfers, are VERY important part of the package to reduce poverty, along with employment Family Policies are associated with lower poverty for single parents (leave for mothers that is not too long + combined with leave for fathers)

Limitations Defining single-parent families Data limitations Associations for future research: how best to empirically consider a diverse set of countries

Conclusions The United States is clearly lagging behind countries in terms of policies that support single parents and their families. The US has inadequate or missing policy in several areas that are consequential to reducing single parent poverty– low income transfers, no child benefit, no paid maternity leave, no paid leave for both parents, no paid sick leave for children, and limited working time regulations. Certainly, lessons from the Triple Bind of Single-Parent Families, a recently edited book by Nieuwenhuis and Maldonado (2018), apply to the US. The idea to reduce gender inequality and reduce class inequality are effective strategies to support the wellbeing of single-parent families.

Appendix

Multilevel regression

Socio-demographic characteristics B SE education -0.93 ** 0.01 age -0.02 ** 0.00 children > 5 years 0.29 ** 0.01 single parent 1.66 ** 0.44 Employment -1.19 ** 0.02 Mom Leave no paid leave (ref) < 14 wks 0.86 0.57 14-25.9 wks 0.50 0.58 26-51.9 wks 0.13 0.60 > 52 wks 0.52 0.62 Single parent*mom leave < 14 wks -2.17 ** 0.52 14-25.9 wks -1.78 ** 0.53 26-51.9 wks -1.49 ** 0.55 > 52 wks -1.82 ** 0.56 Leave for both parents no leave (ref) leave, no incentives 0.49 0.32 < 3 weeks for dad -0.01 0.21 > 2 weeks for dad -0.41 0.30 bonus for dad/ long leave -0.58 0.32 Single parent*leave for both parents leave, no incentives 0.39 0.30 < 3 weeks for dad 0.12 0.19 > 2 weeks for dad 0.39 0.28 bonus for dad/ long leave 0.96 ** 0.29 Working time regulations rest leave -0.02 ** 0.01 Single parent*rest leave 0.02 ** 0.01 annual leave 0.00 0.01 Single parent*annual leave 0.01 0.01 Intercept 1.43 ** 0.49 Country-level variance 0.23 0.04 Single Parent variance 0.19 0.04