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An Intersectional Approach towards Parental Employment in Families with a Child with a Disability: The Case of Belgium

Author

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  • Julie Vinck

    (University of Antwerp, Belgium)

  • Wim Van Lancker

    (University of Leuven, Belgium)

Abstract

For parents with disabled children labour market participation is difficult since these children require care that exceeds typical parental care. At the same time, disabled children often live in families who belong to social categories that are associated with lower employment probabilities. However, the intersection between disability and social categories is hitherto overlooked in the literature. Drawing on a case study of Belgium, this article empirically examines to what extent parental employment is explained by the child’s disability and/or the family’s social disadvantages. For this, unique and large-scale register data are used. The results show that (1) childhood disability overlapped with social disadvantages; (2) childhood disability inhibited parental employment; but (3) the relationship differed by social category: for single parents, parents with low educational qualifications, and parents having multiple disabled children, disability and social disadvantage reinforced each other.

Suggested Citation

  • Julie Vinck & Wim Van Lancker, 2020. "An Intersectional Approach towards Parental Employment in Families with a Child with a Disability: The Case of Belgium," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 34(2), pages 228-261, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:woemps:v:34:y:2020:i:2:p:228-261
    DOI: 10.1177/0950017019872648
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    2. Julia Jansen-van Vuuren & Rosemary Lysaght & Beata Batorowicz & Solomon Dawud & Heather Michelle Aldersey, 2021. "Family Quality of Life and Support: Perceptions of Family Members of Children with Disabilities in Ethiopia," Disabilities, MDPI, vol. 1(3), pages 1-24, August.

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