Inequalities in Resources for Preschool-Age Children by Parental Education: Evidence from Six Advanced Industrialized Countries

Jane Waldfogel (), Sarah Jiyoon Kwon, Yi Wang, Liz Washbrook, Valentina Perinetti Casoni, Melanie Olczyk, Thorsten Schneider, Lidia Panico, Anne Solaz, Sabine Weinert, Anna Volodina, Sanneke Rie, Renske Keizer, Kayo Nozaki, Jun Yamashita, Yuriko Kameyama and Hideo Akabayashi
Additional contact information
Jane Waldfogel: Columbia University
Sarah Jiyoon Kwon: University of Chicago
Yi Wang: Columbia University
Liz Washbrook: University of Bristol
Valentina Perinetti Casoni: University of Bristol
Melanie Olczyk: Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg
Thorsten Schneider: Leipzig University
Lidia Panico: Sciences Po
Anne Solaz: Institut National d’études Démographiques (INED)
Sabine Weinert: University of Bamberg
Anna Volodina: University of Bamberg
Sanneke Rie: Erasmus University Rotterdam
Renske Keizer: Erasmus University Rotterdam
Kayo Nozaki: Osaka University of Economics
Jun Yamashita: Japan Women’s University
Yuriko Kameyama: Keio University

European Journal of Population, 2023, vol. 39, issue 1, No 37, 31 pages

Abstract: Abstract This paper provides new evidence on inequalities in resources for children age 3–4 by parental education using harmonized data from six advanced industrialized countries—United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Netherlands, and Japan—that represent different social welfare regime types. We analyze inequalities in two types of resources for young children—family income, and center-based child care—applying two alternative measures of parental education—highest parental education, and maternal education. We hypothesize that inequalities in resources by parental education will be less pronounced in countries where social policies are designed to be more equalizing. The results provide partial support for this hypothesis: the influence of parental education on resources for children does vary by the social policy context, although not in all cases. We also find that the measurement of parental education matters: income disparities are smaller under a maternal-only definition whereas child care disparities are larger. Moreover, the degree of divergence between the two sets of estimates differs across countries. We provide some of the first systematic evidence about how resources for young children vary depending on parents’ education and the extent to which such inequalities are buffered by social policies. We find that while early inequalities are a fact of life in all six countries, the extent of those inequalities varies considerably. Moreover, the results suggest that social policy plays a role in moderating the influence of parental education on resources for children.

Keywords: Inequalities; Children; Family income; Center-based child care; Parental education; Comparative research (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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DOI: 10.1007/s10680-023-09685-0

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