1 OECD Family Database Inaugaral ISCI Conference, Chicago, USA June, 2007 Annette Panzera OECD Social Policy Division

2 Presentation outline What is the OECD? – What do we produce? Structure of the database – Some example indicators – Other relevant OECD products The way ahead – Data gaps, how to fill them? – Other indicators to develop

3 What is the OECD and what does it do? The OECD exists to promote policies designed “to achieve the highest sustainable economic growth and employment and a rising standard of living”. To identify best practice, the OECD develops indicators focused on internationally comparable datasets which illustrate some vital differences in experience, across countries, over time and across different groups. Work on social policy at the OECD covers public pensions, social expenditure, tax/benefits systems, child well-being and policies relating to families and children –OECD Family database a new concept to find data relating to families and children in one place

4 Family database structure Family composition: Labour Market Status of Families Public Policies for Families and Children Child Outcomes

5 1.The Structure of Families –Average family size –Fertility rates, childlessness –Marriage and divorce rates

6 Trends in fertility rates (1980)

7 Trends in fertility rates (2005)

8 More information – family structure D’Addio, A-C, and M. Mira d’Ercole (2005), “Trends and determinants of Fertility rates in OECD Countries: the Role of Policies”, OECD Social, Employment and Migration Working Papers, No. 27, OECD, Paris (

9 2. Labour Market Status of Families –Maternal employment rates by family size and number of children –Gender differences in employment outcomes –Work/family balance (Usual weekly working hours, Family-friendly workplace practices, Time-use)

10 Female employment rates usually increase with higher educational attainment

11 Long working hours in some countries impacts upon family life

12 More information –Policies to help reconcile work and family/ Labour market dynamics

13 3.Public Policies for Families and Children –Public spending on families (Child support, Spending on families and education) –Child-related leave –Childcare (Enrolments, Financing, Quality)

14 Enrolment in childcare (for children aged 0 – 3) varies widely across countries

15 Participation for older kids is particularly high in France

16 Public spending on ECEC varies accordingly….

17 ….as does public spending on families (2003)

18 There are large differences in spending patterns on children

19 Other relevant OECD publications and data – Policies for families Other sources: : Social Expenditure Database (SOCX 2007), (including net data for 2003) Immervoll, H. and D. Barber (2005), “ Can Parents afford to Work? Childcare costs, Tax- benefit policies and work incentives ”, Social, Employment and Migration Working Papers, No. 31, OECD, Paris (

20 4.Child Outcomes –Child health (Immunisation, birth weight, infant mortality) –Child poverty –Education/literacy (Attainment by level of education, Fields of study (by gender), Literacy scores) –Societal participation

21 Child poverty has recently been rising in many countries Per cent of children in households with incomes below 50% of the median

22 Educational attainment has risen dramatically in the last 20 years, especially for women

23 The relationship between parental employment and literacy scores PISA 2003

24 The relationship between pre-school attendance and literacy scores (PISA 2003)

25 More information – child outcomes

26 Next Steps: Questionnaire sent out requesting information on: –Living arrangements of children –Parental employment patterns –Take-up of child related leave –OSHC Other sources of data eg. –PISA 2006 –OECD Income Distribution Study (2007) OECD Child well-being project –Conception to 3 years –Literature survey of the effect of family structure on child well-being –Distribution of public spending by age of child

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