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Waldfogel J, Kwon SJ, Wang Y, Washbrook L, Casoni VP, Olczyk M, Schneider T, Panico L, Solaz A, Weinert S, Volodina A, de la Rie S, Keizer R, Nozaki K, Yamashita J, Kameyama Y, Akabayashi H. Inequalities in Resources for Preschool-Age Children by Parental Education: Evidence from Six Advanced Industrialized Countries. Eur J Popul 2023; 39:37. [PMID: 38064001 PMCID: PMC10709535 DOI: 10.1007/s10680-023-09685-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2022] [Accepted: 10/16/2023] [Indexed: 12/29/2023]
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.
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Grants
- SCHN 1116/1-1 Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, Germany, SCHN 1116/1-1; WE 1478/12-1)
- WE 1478/12-1 Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, Germany, SCHN 1116/1-1; WE 1478/12-1)
- SCHN 1116/1-1 Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, Germany, SCHN 1116/1-1; WE 1478/12-1)
- WE 1478/12-1 Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, Germany, SCHN 1116/1-1; WE 1478/12-1)
- SCHN 1116/1-1 Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, Germany, SCHN 1116/1-1; WE 1478/12-1)
- WE 1478/12-1 Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, Germany, SCHN 1116/1-1; WE 1478/12-1)
- SCHN 1116/1-1 Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, Germany, SCHN 1116/1-1; WE 1478/12-1)
- WE 1478/12-1 Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, Germany, SCHN 1116/1-1; WE 1478/12-1)
- ES/S015191/1 Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC Grant ES/S015191/1, United Kingdom)
- ES/S015191/1 Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC Grant ES/S015191/1, United Kingdom)
- ES/S015191/1 Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC Grant ES/S015191/1, United Kingdom)
- ES/S015191/1 Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC Grant ES/S015191/1, United Kingdom)
- ES/S015191/1 Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC Grant ES/S015191/1, United Kingdom)
- ANR-18-ORAR-0001 Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR grant ANR-18-ORAR-0001, France)
- ANR-18-ORAR-0001 Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR grant ANR-18-ORAR-0001, France)
- 464.18.102 Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek (NWO, The Netherlands, grant number 464.18.102)
- 464.18.102 Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek (NWO, The Netherlands, grant number 464.18.102)
- Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS, Japan)
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Affiliation(s)
- Jane Waldfogel
- Columbia University, 1255 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, 10027-5927, NY, US.
| | | | - Yi Wang
- Columbia University, 1255 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, 10027-5927, NY, US
- Hunter College, City University of New York, NY, USA
| | | | | | - Melanie Olczyk
- Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany
| | | | - Lidia Panico
- Centre de Recherche Sur Les Inégalités Sociales (CRIS), CNRS, Sciences Po, Paris, France
- Institut National d'études Démographiques (INED), 93300, Aubervilliers, France
| | - Anne Solaz
- Institut National d'études Démographiques (INED), 93300, Aubervilliers, France
| | | | - Anna Volodina
- University of Bamberg, Bamberg, Bavaria, Germany
- Institute for Educational Quality Improvement at the Humboldt-Universität Zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Renske Keizer
- Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, Netherlands
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Olczyk M, Gentrup S, Schneider T, Volodina A, Perinetti Casoni V, Washbrook E, Kwon SJ, Waldfogel J. Teacher judgements and gender achievement gaps in primary education in England, Germany, and the US. Soc Sci Res 2023; 116:102938. [PMID: 37981394 DOI: 10.1016/j.ssresearch.2023.102938] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2022] [Revised: 09/08/2023] [Accepted: 09/30/2023] [Indexed: 11/21/2023]
Abstract
We examined whether inaccurate teacher judgements of primary school student achievement correlate with students' gender and whether such bias contributes to gender achievement gaps in language and mathematics. Our study used ex-post harmonised longitudinal data from England, Germany, and the US. We observed domain-specific teacher judgement bias with a positive bias for girls in the language domain and for boys in mathematics. Furthermore, biased teacher judgements partly mediated the effect of gender on later achievement. Despite these common findings, cross-country differences emerged in the extent of teacher judgement bias as well as its mediation of gender achievement gaps. We conclude that this is a topic of relevance across national contexts and where the institutional and societal setting needs more attention in future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melanie Olczyk
- Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Paracelsusstr. 22, 06114 Halle (Saale), Germany.
| | - Sarah Gentrup
- Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Unter den Linden 6, 10099, Berlin, Germany.
| | | | - Anna Volodina
- Institute for Educational Quality Improvement at the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Luisenstraße 56, 10117, Berlin, Germany; University of Bamberg, Augustenstraße 6, 96047, Bamberg, Germany.
| | | | | | - Sarah Jiyoon Kwon
- The University of Chicago, 969 E. 60th St., Chicago, IL, 60637, USA.
| | - Jane Waldfogel
- Columbia University, 1255 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY, 10027, USA.
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Panico L, Boinet C, Akabayashi H, de la Rie S, Kwon SJ, Kameyama Y, Keizer R, Nozaki K, Perinetti Casoni V, Volodina A, Waldfogel J, Weinert S, Washbrook E. International differences in gradients in early childhood overweight and obesity: the role of maternal employment and formal childcare attendance. Eur J Public Health 2023; 33:468-475. [PMID: 37263010 DOI: 10.1093/eurpub/ckad058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND There are significant cross-country differences in socio-economic gradients in later childhood and adulthood overweight/obesity; few studies assess whether this cross-national variation is evident from early childhood. Furthermore, the role of childcare in explaining overweight/obesity gradients might vary across countries, given differences in access, quality and heterogeneity within. Additionally, childcare is linked to parental characteristics such as maternal employment. The interplay between childcare and employment in producing early overweight/obesity gradients has received little attention, and might vary cross-nationally. METHODS Using harmonized data from six high-quality, large datasets, we explore the variation in gradients in early overweight/obesity (at age 3-4 years old) by parental education across several high-income countries (USA, UK, France, the Netherlands, Germany and Japan). We then assess whether differential formal group care use attenuates some of these gradients, and whether this varies across maternal employment. RESULTS Gradients in early childhood overweight/obesity by parental education are evident across several developed countries. Countries with higher overall prevalence of early overweight/obesity did not have the largest inequalities across education groups. The contribution of formal group care to producing these gradients varied across countries and across maternal employment status. CONCLUSION Early childhood inequalities in overweight/obesity are pervasive across developed countries, as noted for older children and adults. However, mechanisms producing these gradients vary across national contexts. Our study shows that, given the right context, quality childcare and maternal employment can successfully support healthy weight trajectories and not contribute (or even reduce) social inequalities in early overweight/obesity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lidia Panico
- Centre for Research on Social Inequalities (CRIS), Sciences Po, Paris, France
- Institut National d'Etudes Démographiques, Aubervilliers, France
| | | | | | - Sanneke de la Rie
- Department of Public Administration and Sociology, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Sarah Jiyoon Kwon
- Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | | | - Renske Keizer
- Department of Public Administration and Sociology, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Kayo Nozaki
- Faculty of Economics, Osaka University of Economics, Osaka, Japan
| | | | - Anna Volodina
- University of Bamberg, Bamberg, Germany
- Institute for Educational Quality Improvement, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Jane Waldfogel
- Columbia University School of Social Work, New York, NY, USA
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de la Rie S, Washbrook E, Perinetti Casoni V, Waldfogel J, Kwon SJ, Dräger J, Schneider T, Olczyk M, Boinet C, Keizer R. The role of energy balance related behaviors in socioeconomic inequalities in childhood body mass index: A comparative analysis of Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Soc Sci Med 2023; 317:115575. [PMID: 36470056 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.115575] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2022] [Revised: 11/09/2022] [Accepted: 11/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Socioeconomic inequalities in childhood Body Mass Index (BMI) are becoming increasingly more pronounced across the world. Although countries differ in the direction and strength of these inequalities, cross-national comparative research on this topic is rare. This paper draws on harmonized longitudinal cohort data from four wealthy countries-Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom (UK), and the United States (US)-to 1) map cross-country differences in the magnitude of socioeconomic inequalities in childhood BMI, and 2) to examine cross-country differences in the role of three energy-balance-related behaviors-physical activity, screen time, and breakfast consumption-in explaining these inequalities. Children were aged 5-7 at our first timepoint and were followed up at age 8-11. We used data from the German National Educational Panel Study, the Dutch Generation R study, the UK Millennium Cohort Study and the US Early Childhood Longitudinal-Kindergarten Study. All countries revealed significant inequalities in childhood BMI. The US stood out in having the largest inequalities. Overall, inequalities between children with low versus medium educated parents were smaller than those between children with high versus medium educated parents. The role of energy-balance-related behaviors in explaining inequalities in BMI was surprisingly consistent. Across countries, physical activity did not, while screen time and breakfast consumption did play a role. The only exception was that breakfast consumption did not play a role in the US. Cross-country differences emerged in the relative contribution of each behavior in explaining inequalities in BMI: Breakfast consumption was most important in the UK, screen time explained most in Germany and the US, and breakfast consumption and screen time were equally important in the Netherlands. Our findings suggest that what constitutes the most effective policy intervention differs across countries and that these should target both children from medium as well as low educated families.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanneke de la Rie
- Department of Public Administration & Sociology, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Burgemeester Oudlaan 50, 3000 DR, Rotterdam, Netherlands.
| | - Elizabeth Washbrook
- School of Education, University of Bristol, 35 Berkeley Square, Bristol, BS8 1JA, United Kingdom
| | | | - Jane Waldfogel
- Columbia University School of Social Work, 1255 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY, 10027, USA
| | - Sarah Jiyoon Kwon
- Columbia University School of Social Work, 1255 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY, 10027, USA
| | - Jascha Dräger
- School of Education, University of Strathclyde, 141 St James Road, Glasgow, G4 0LT, United Kingdom
| | | | - Melanie Olczyk
- Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg, Paracelsusstr. 22, 06114, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Césarine Boinet
- Department of Economics, University of Strathclyde, 199 Cathedral Street, Glasgow, G4 0QU, United Kingdom; French Institute for Demographic Studies (INED), 9 Cours des Humanités CS 50004, 93322, Aubervilliers Cedex, Aubervilliers, France
| | - Renske Keizer
- Department of Public Administration & Sociology, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Burgemeester Oudlaan 50, 3000 DR, Rotterdam, Netherlands
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Volodina A, Weinert S, Washbrook E, Waldfogel J, Kwon SJ, Wang Y, Perinetti Casoni V. Explaining gaps by parental education in children’s early language and social outcomes at age 3–4 years: evidence from harmonised data from three countries. Curr Psychol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s12144-022-03754-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
AbstractChild outcomes vary by family’s socioeconomic status (SES). Research on explanatory factors underlying early SES-related disparities has mainly focused on specific child outcomes (e.g., language skills) and selected influencing factors in single countries often with a focus on individual differences but not explicitly on early SES-related gaps. This study uses harmonised data from longitudinal large-scale studies conducted in the United Kingdom, United States, and Germany to examine parental education-related gaps in early child language and social skills. Twelve theoretically proposed family-, child-, and childcare-related factors were systematically evaluated as explanatory factors. In all countries, parental education-related gaps were particularly pronounced for early child language compared to social skills. In the decomposition analyses, the home learning environment was the only measure that significantly explained gaps in all child outcomes across all countries. Early centre-based care attendance, family income, and maternal age at childbirth contributed to gaps in child outcomes with the specific pattern of results varying across outcomes and countries. Maternal depressive feelings significantly contributed only to explaining gaps in children’s social skills. Thus, while some mechanisms found to underpin early parental education-related gaps can be generalized from single-country, single-domain studies, others are outcome- and context-specific.
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