Economic insecurity and material deprivation: Coping strategies among couple families with and without small children in Europe

Background: Families in Europe are increasingly exposed to economic insecurity, which may heighten their risk of material deprivation. Coping strategies – typically involving employment by family members – may help mitigate such risks. However, the ability to adopt such strategies and their effectiveness may depend on the welfare context and the presence of small children, an aspect that remains under-investigated. Objective: This paper examines the role of the female partner’s employment as a coping strategy against material deprivation in response to the male partner’s loss of earnings, distinguishing between buffering (stable employment) and resilience (entry into employment). Methods: We used longitudinal EU-SILC data (2004–2019) for 31 European countries and applied first-difference models. We distinguished between couples with and without children aged 0–5 years, and compared outcomes across six European country clusters: Nordic, Anglo-Saxon, Continental, Southern, Central-Eastern, and Baltic. We analysed both the prevalence and effectiveness of buffering and resilience strategies. Results: Male earnings loss is associated with a substantial increase in material deprivation, regardless of the presence of small children. Buffering is more prevalent among families without small children and in more defamilised contexts, such as Nordic and Continental European countries. Resilience is more frequent among families with small children, especially in Baltic countries. Regarding effectiveness, buffering mitigates the impact of earnings loss in some countries, regardless of the presence of small children. By contrast, resilience is largely ineffective. Contribution: This study shows that although stable female employment is an effective coping strategy, employment activation remains fragile and highly context-dependent. Families with small children are more likely to rely on employment activation than families without small children; however, the capacity of employment activation to cushion material deprivation is limited and uncertain. Thus, policy efforts should prioritise support for maternal employment continuity.