Die Verbreitung des Doppelernährer- und Doppelbetreuermodells in fünf Ländern Europas

This study depicts trends in the dual-breadwinner model, i.e. both parents working full-time, in Austria, France, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom, from 1998 to 2010. More particularly, it focuses on families that live according to the dual-breadwinner/dual-career model, in which mothers and fathers share childcare equally. The analyses are based on the European Union’s Labour Force Surveys and on time-use surveys. There is no uniform development towards the dual-breadwinner model across countries: while it has become more widespread among French and Spanish parents, its prevalence has stagnated in Germany and the United Kingdom, and strongly declined in Austria. Only a minority of parents who both work full-time divide childcare time equally: 18% of families with a child below the age of six adopt the dual-career model and only 5% of those with children of school-age. There is little variation across countries. Child care is more equally balanced when both parents have completed tertiary education and when mothers have high-status jobs.