The Gender Gap in Social Transfer Receipt: Examining the Triple Bind of Lone Mothers in Germany

Deike Janssen , Hertie School Berlin & Humboldt University

Lone mothers often fare worse compared to lone fathers: they are more often affected by poverty, including in-work poverty, and more likely to receive social transfers compared to lone fathers. This article describes the differences in social transfer receipt among lone parents as the "Gender Welfare Gap”. Using data from the German Microcensus that spans 20 years of data, this study employs logistic regression to examine the determinants of social transfer reliance among lone parents. Decomposition analysis is further applied to study the contribution of compositional differences to the gender gap. Results show that lone mothers are substantially more likely than lone fathers to rely on social transfers even after controlling for socio-demographic factors. Education did not appear as a gender equalizer, although high education acted as a strong protective factor against social transfer receipt among both lone mothers and lone fathers. Together with the number and age of children, education and the differences in age of lone parents explained a large faction of the differences in social transfer receipt. While over time, the odds of receiving social transfers declined for lone parents in general, the gender gap between lone mothers and lone fathers did not decrease. The findings are interpreted through the lens of the triple bind theory, which emphasizes the interplay of inadequate resources, employment opportunities, and policy support in shaping lone parents’ social transfer receipt.

See paper

 Presented in Session P7. Education, Labor Market, and Economic Issues