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Unexpected Victims: How Parents' Unemployment Affects Their Children's Life Satisfaction

Author

Listed:
  • Michael Kind

    (Ruhr Graduate School in Economics, Essen)

  • John P. Haisken-DeNew

    (Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, The University of Melbourne)

Abstract

The effects of unemployment on the subjective wellbeing (SWB) of the unemployed on the unemployed are well documented. Using data from the German SOEP for 17-25 year olds living with their parents, this paper examines the additional indirect effects of parents’ unemployment on their children’s subjective wellbeing in an attempt to capture the full impact of unemployment. The reason for entry (exogenous versus endogenous) into unemployment plays a major role. Fathers who enter unemployment exogenously affect their son’s SWB negatively, as do mothers who enter into unemployment endogenously. Parental unemployment has no impact on daughters’ SWB.

Suggested Citation

  • Michael Kind & John P. Haisken-DeNew, 2012. "Unexpected Victims: How Parents' Unemployment Affects Their Children's Life Satisfaction," Melbourne Institute Working Paper Series wp2012n02, Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, The University of Melbourne.
    • Handle: RePEc:iae:iaewps:wp2012n02
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    File URL: http://melbourneinstitute.unimelb.edu.au/downloads/working_paper_series/wp2012n02.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Kleibrink, Jan, 2014. "Sick of your Job? – Negative Health Effects from Non-Optimal Employment," Ruhr Economic Papers 514, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, University of Duisburg-Essen.
    2. Viola Angelini & Marco Bertoni & Luca Corazzini, 2015. "The Causal Effect of Paternal Unemployment on Children's Personality," SOEPpapers on Multidisciplinary Panel Data Research 795, DIW Berlin, The German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP).
    3. Wunder, Christoph & Heineck, Guido, 2013. "Working time preferences, hours mismatch and well-being of couples: Are there spillovers?," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 24(C), pages 244-252.
    4. Hansen, Kerstin F. & Stutzer, Alois, 2022. "Parental unemployment, social insurance and child well-being across countries," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 204(C), pages 600-617.
    5. Torosyan, Karine & Pignatti, Norberto & Obrizan, Maksym, 2018. "Job market outcomes for IDPs: The case of Georgia," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 46(3), pages 800-820.
    6. Bruce Headey & Ruud Muffels & Gert Wagner, 2014. "Parents Transmit Happiness Along with Associated Values and Behaviors to Their Children: A Lifelong Happiness Dividend?," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 116(3), pages 909-933, May.
    7. Martínez-Jiménez, Mario, 2023. "Parental nonemployment in childhood and children’s health later in life," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 49(C).
    8. Powdthavee, Nattavudh & Vernoit, James, 2012. "The transferable scars: a longitudinal evidence of psychological impact of past parental unemployment on adolescents in the United Kingdom," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 51510, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    9. Bubonya, Melisa & Cobb-Clark, Deborah A. & Wooden, Mark, 2014. "A Family Affair: Job Loss and the Mental Health of Spouses and Adolescents," IZA Discussion Papers 8588, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    10. Concepción Moreno-Maldonado & Antonia Jiménez-Iglesias & Francisco Rivera & Carmen Moreno, 2020. "Characterization of Resilient Adolescents in the Context of Parental Unemployment," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 13(2), pages 681-702, April.
    11. Melisa Bubonya & Deborah A. Cobb-Clark & Mark Wooden, 2017. "Job loss and the mental health of spouses and adolescent children," IZA Journal of Labor Economics, Springer;Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit GmbH (IZA), vol. 6(1), pages 1-27, December.
    12. Michael Kind & John P. Haisken-DeNew, 2012. "Sons' Unexpected Long Term Scarring Due to Fathers' Unemployment," Melbourne Institute Working Paper Series wp2012n21, Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, The University of Melbourne.
    13. Frasquilho, Diana & de Matos, Margarida Gaspar & Gaspar, Tânia & Caldas de Almeida, J.M., 2016. "Young people's well-being and the economic crisis: How does parental unemployment and family wealth affect the downturn experience?," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 219-222.
    14. Haisken-DeNew, John P. & Kleibrink, Jan, 2013. "Walking Wounded – The Causal Welfare Loss of Underemployment through Overeducation," Ruhr Economic Papers 423, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, University of Duisburg-Essen.
    15. Michael Kind & John P. Haisken-DeNew, 2012. "Sons‘ Unexpected Long Term Scarring due to Fathers‘ Unemployment," Ruhr Economic Papers 0375, Rheinisch-Westfälisches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Universität Dortmund, Universität Duisburg-Essen.
    16. Milena Nikolova & Sinem H. Ayhan, 2019. "Your spouse is fired! How much do you care?," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 32(3), pages 799-844, July.
    17. John P. Haisken-DeNew & Jan Kleibrink, 2013. "Walking Wounded – The Causal Welfare Loss of Underemployment through Overeducation," Ruhr Economic Papers 0423, Rheinisch-Westfälisches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Universität Dortmund, Universität Duisburg-Essen.
    18. Powdthavee, Nattavudh & Vernoit, James, 2013. "Parental unemployment and children's happiness: A longitudinal study of young people's well-being in unemployed households," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 24(C), pages 253-263.
    19. Nikolova, Milena & Nikolaev, Boris N., 2021. "Family matters: The effects of parental unemployment in early childhood and adolescence on subjective well-being later in life," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 181(C), pages 312-331.
    20. Jan Kleibrink, 2014. "Sick of your Job? – Negative Health Effects from Non-Optimal Employment," Ruhr Economic Papers 0514, Rheinisch-Westfälisches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Universität Dortmund, Universität Duisburg-Essen.
    21. Moreno-Maldonado, C. & Jiménez-Iglesias, A. & Camacho, I. & Rivera, F. & Moreno, C. & Matos, M.G., 2020. "Factors associated with life satisfaction of adolescents living with employed and unemployed parents in Spain and Portugal: A person focused approach," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 110(C).
    22. Kind, Michael, 2015. "Start me up: How fathers' unemployment affects their sons' school-to-work transitions," Ruhr Economic Papers 583, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, University of Duisburg-Essen.
    23. Kleverbeck, Maria & Kind, Michael, 2015. "Does parental unemployment affect the quality of their children's first job?," Ruhr Economic Papers 596, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, University of Duisburg-Essen.
    24. Christian Bünnings & Jan Kleibrink & Jens Weßling, 2017. "Fear of Unemployment and its Effect on the Mental Health of Spouses," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 26(1), pages 104-117, January.

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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • Z1 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics
    • J64 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Unemployment: Models, Duration, Incidence, and Job Search
    • J65 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Unemployment Insurance; Severance Pay; Plant Closings
    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth

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