Women and Family
The ifo Institute conducts in-depth research into equality of opportunity, work-life balance, and child development. An overview of the ifo Institute’s positioning, studies on the effects of social and family policy measures, and other topics on women and family.
ifo Positions Itself on the Topic of Women and Family
Through its publications in 2021, the ifo Institute raised its profile on the topics of education as well as women and family. In several studies, ifo researchers called for greater equality of opportunity between men and women, especially through enabling a better work-life balance.
Family Economics: Family Development
Within the research focus of family economics, the Center examines the effects of social and family policy measures on work-life balance, on couples’ fertility decisions, and on child development. Furthermore, the ifo researchers investigate the causes and effects of instability in married and family life. This is framed, for example, by the economic and family policy factors that affect divorce rates, but also by how children are affected when their parents separate or divorce. Another research focus is the causes of domestic violence: Do cultural factors, historical backgrounds, and economic conditions play a role? And what measures might help prevent violence against women?
“A combined reform of mini-jobs and marital splitting would reduce gender inequality on the labor market by removing disincentives for women to work.”
Prof. Helmut Rainer Ph.D., Director of the ifo Center for Labour and Demographic Economics
Study: Paid Maternity Leave Promotes Children’s Mental Health
In the late 1970s, maternity leave in Germany was extended to up to six months with financial support from the state in order to ease the burden on mothers. In a study over a protracted period, ifo researcher Marc Fabel now shows that this has also benefited children in their longterm development. Young men in their late twenties in particular are less likely to be affected by conditions such as addiction-related behavioral disorders. The author reached this conclusion by evaluating hospital medical data for the period 1995–2014.
DFG Project: How Custody Affects Child Development
When divorce breaks up a family, the custody arrangements made by the parents play a pivotal role in how their children develop. There is some question as to whether shared custody affects children and their family environment differently from when one parent has sole custody. Painting an accurate picture of causes and effects is both complex and difficult. The researchers attached to this DFG project are putting together a unique dataset in Sweden: they are collecting and digitalizing data on divorce cases that were heard by Swedish district courts between 1998 and 2021. This provides a large administrative dataset of personal accounts of children of divorced families and their parents.
“Parents choose different custody setups based on unobservable factors. We want to better understand these factors because we suspect that the setup they choose also plays a role in their children’s development.”
Anna Hasselqvist, ifo Zentrum für Arbeitsmarkt- und Bevölkerungsökonomik
Further topics on Women and Family in the ifo Annual Report 2021
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Introducing Basic Child Allowance
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Reforms proposed for marriage and family.
