Policy Press
Six The impact of poverty on children’s school attendance – evidence from West Germany
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Abstract
Over the last decades most Western industrialised countries have experienced a considerable change concerning the economic situation and relative income position of the old and the young. While the situation of older people significantly improved in quite a few of those countries, the well-being of children appears to have got worse (Cornia, 1997; Habich and Krause, 1997; Burniaux et al, 1998; Bradbury and Jäntti, 1999; Bradshaw, 1999). On the other hand, educational opportunities for children in general have improved in most OECD countries (OECD, 1998). This leads to the expectation of increasing differences in educational prospects. The question of whether income inequality and poverty do affect educational attainment remains therefore a most crucial one in educational research.
Attending school is important for two reasons. First and most obviously, school helps children to acquire learning skills and information on a wide range of subjects. Second, and in many ways just as important, formal schooling provides the forum through which children develop social skills, learning to be independent and to relate to non-family members in a group-based setting. This latter reason is particularly important for children who may be underprivileged or deprived, where school may enrich or compensate for the other areas of their life which are lacking, and may provide a constancy of environment not found at home. (Rushton, 1995, p 94, cited in Howarth et al, 1998, p 50)
Existing literature (Gregg and Machin, 1998; Hobcraft, 1998) reveals severe disadvantages for children growing up in poverty with regard to their educational prospects. This chapter contributes, with German data, a special focus for measuring the income situation of children and thereby provides a more differentiated picture than gained with traditional research designs.
Abstract
Over the last decades most Western industrialised countries have experienced a considerable change concerning the economic situation and relative income position of the old and the young. While the situation of older people significantly improved in quite a few of those countries, the well-being of children appears to have got worse (Cornia, 1997; Habich and Krause, 1997; Burniaux et al, 1998; Bradbury and Jäntti, 1999; Bradshaw, 1999). On the other hand, educational opportunities for children in general have improved in most OECD countries (OECD, 1998). This leads to the expectation of increasing differences in educational prospects. The question of whether income inequality and poverty do affect educational attainment remains therefore a most crucial one in educational research.
Attending school is important for two reasons. First and most obviously, school helps children to acquire learning skills and information on a wide range of subjects. Second, and in many ways just as important, formal schooling provides the forum through which children develop social skills, learning to be independent and to relate to non-family members in a group-based setting. This latter reason is particularly important for children who may be underprivileged or deprived, where school may enrich or compensate for the other areas of their life which are lacking, and may provide a constancy of environment not found at home. (Rushton, 1995, p 94, cited in Howarth et al, 1998, p 50)
Existing literature (Gregg and Machin, 1998; Hobcraft, 1998) reveals severe disadvantages for children growing up in poverty with regard to their educational prospects. This chapter contributes, with German data, a special focus for measuring the income situation of children and thereby provides a more differentiated picture than gained with traditional research designs.
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents iii
- Foreword vii
- Acknowledgements xi
- List of contributors xii
- Ending child poverty in industrialised nations 1
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The extent and trend of child poverty in industrialised nations
- Child poverty across the industrialised world: evidence from the Luxembourg Income Study 11
- Poverty across states, nations, and continents 33
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Outcomes for children
- Values, policies and the well-being of young children in Canada, Norway and the United States 79
- Child well-being in the EU – and enlargement to the East 99
- Childhood experiences, educational attainment and adult labour market performance 129
- The impact of poverty on children’s school attendance – evidence from West Germany 151
- Inequalities in the use of time by teenagers and young adults 175
- Gender inequality in poverty in affluent nations: the role of single motherhood and the state 199
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Country studies and emerging issues
- The impact of economic change on child welfare in Central Asia 227
- The evolution of child poverty in Ireland 255
- Living conditions of immigrant children in Germany 275
- Who has borne the cost of Britain’s children in the 1990s? 299
- The public and private costs of children in Australia, 1993-94 321
- Socioeconomic circumstances in Europe and North America among school-aged children 347
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Child and family policies
- Income inequalities and poverty among children and households with children in selected OECD countries 371
- Reducing child poverty in the European Union: the role of child benefits 407
- Public policies that support families with young children: variation across US states 433
- Income transfers and support for mothers’ employment: the link to family poverty risks 459
- Child support among selected OECD countries: a comparative analysis 485
- Child and family policies in an era of social policy retrenchment and restructuring 501
- What have we learned and where do we go from here? 527
- Index 547
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents iii
- Foreword vii
- Acknowledgements xi
- List of contributors xii
- Ending child poverty in industrialised nations 1
-
The extent and trend of child poverty in industrialised nations
- Child poverty across the industrialised world: evidence from the Luxembourg Income Study 11
- Poverty across states, nations, and continents 33
-
Outcomes for children
- Values, policies and the well-being of young children in Canada, Norway and the United States 79
- Child well-being in the EU – and enlargement to the East 99
- Childhood experiences, educational attainment and adult labour market performance 129
- The impact of poverty on children’s school attendance – evidence from West Germany 151
- Inequalities in the use of time by teenagers and young adults 175
- Gender inequality in poverty in affluent nations: the role of single motherhood and the state 199
-
Country studies and emerging issues
- The impact of economic change on child welfare in Central Asia 227
- The evolution of child poverty in Ireland 255
- Living conditions of immigrant children in Germany 275
- Who has borne the cost of Britain’s children in the 1990s? 299
- The public and private costs of children in Australia, 1993-94 321
- Socioeconomic circumstances in Europe and North America among school-aged children 347
-
Child and family policies
- Income inequalities and poverty among children and households with children in selected OECD countries 371
- Reducing child poverty in the European Union: the role of child benefits 407
- Public policies that support families with young children: variation across US states 433
- Income transfers and support for mothers’ employment: the link to family poverty risks 459
- Child support among selected OECD countries: a comparative analysis 485
- Child and family policies in an era of social policy retrenchment and restructuring 501
- What have we learned and where do we go from here? 527
- Index 547
