Economic Conditions of Female-headed Households in Taiwan in Comparison to the United States and Sweden Some reflections on the measurement of social quality Ozawa, Lee and Wang
Jan 02, 2016
Economic Conditions of Female-headed Households in Taiwan in Comparison to
the United States and Sweden
Some reflections on the measurement of social quality
Ozawa, Lee and Wang
Source of data
1) The wave 5 of Luxemburg Income Study (LIS)
2) The data was collected around the year of 2000
Source of data
3) 3,544 female-headed households with children under the age of 18
4) U.S.: 2,817 Sweden: 406 Taiwan: 321
Conceptual Framework
1) Poverty rates under different definitions of income
Private income Disposable income=private
income – taxes + public transfers + private transfers
Poverty line: 50% of the median adjusted household income
Conceptual Framework
2) Effects of public transfers & private transfers on poverty reduction
3) Income inequality Private income Disposable income
Conceptual Framework
4) Factors related to poverty status in each country
5) The odds of female-headed households being in poverty among three countries
Conceptual Framework
6) The effect of number of children on the odds of female-headed households being in poverty
7) Implications for the measurement of social quality
Findings
1) Poverty rates under the definition of private income
U.S.: 50% Taiwan: 27% Sweden: 51%
FindingsPoverty rates under the
definition of disposable income
U.S.: 41% Taiwan: 22% Sweden: 9.7%
Findings
2) Effects of public transfers & private transfers on poverty reduction
U.S.: 25% decline in the poverty rate (mainly due to means-tested benefits)
Findings Taiwan: 37% decline in the pove
rty rate (mainly due to private transfers)
Sweden:86% decline in the poverty rate (mainly due to social insurance programs)
Findings
3) Income inequality (Gini) Private income U.S.: 0.491 Taiwan: 0.307 Sweden: 0.494
FindingsDisposable income U.S.: 0.363 Taiwan: 0.280 Sweden: 0.160
Findings
4) Factors related to poverty status in each country
U.S.: number of children under 18, age of youngest child, age, education, marital status, work status
FindingsTaiwan: education, work
statusSweden: age of the youngest
child, marital status, work status
Findings
5) The odds of female-headed households being in poverty among three countries
Compared to Taiwan, female-headed households in Sweden were less likely to be poor.
FindingsCompared to Taiwan, female-he
aded households in the U.S. were more likely to be poor.
Findings
6) The effect of the number of children on the odds of female-headed households being in poverty
In Taiwan, the number of children under 18 did not affect.
FindingsIn Sweden, when the number
of children increased by one, the odds of female-headed household being in poverty decreased by 23%.
FindingsIn the U.S., when the number
of children increased by one, the odds of female-headed household being in poverty increased by 41.6%.
Discussions
1) Before receiving public & private transfers, female-headed households in Taiwan had the lowest poverty rate.
the role of market
Discussions
2) After receiving public & private transfers, female-headed households in Sweden had the lowest poverty rate.
The role of state, especially social insurance programs
Discussions
3) The different effects of public & private transfers on poverty reduction existed in three countries.
DiscussionsU.S.: means-tested programs
Taiwan: family transfers
Sweden: social insurance programs
Discussions
4) The level of poverty rate was related to the level of income inequality.
The country with the lower poverty rate had a more equal income distribution.
Discussions
5) The impacts of life events & human capital on poverty status were different in each country.
U.S.: life events (marriage, raising children), human capital (education, work status)
DiscussionsTaiwan: human capital
(education, work status)Sweden: life events
(marriage, raising children), human capital (work status)
Discussions
6) Adding on more children resulted in a smaller odds of being in poverty in Sweden.
DiscussionsSweden solved the problem
stemming from the existence of children by means of comprehensive systems of income transfers that favors households with children.
Implications for the measurement of social quality
The conditional factor of socio-economic security:
Financial resources• Income sufficiency• Income security
Implications for the measurement of social quality
Work • Employment security• Working conditions
Education• Security of education• Quality of education
Implications for the measurement of social quality
1) Income sufficiency: income-to-needs ratio= household income / poverty
line Suitable for international
comparisons
Implications for the measurement of social quality
2) Income security: poverty rates, income inequality
(ex.Gini): ---the level of economic homogeneity among households
Implications for the measurement of social quality
3) The protection of income security:
Considering other components of the welfare mix, besides state
Taiwan: market, family
Implications for the measurement of social quality
4) The protection of income security:
Considering different types of pubic transfers: means-tested or social insurance programs
Implications for the measurement of social quality
5) Exploring the relationship among the domains:
work, education, financial resources
Implications for the measurement of social quality
6) From a gender perspective, several factors affecting women’s income security need to be considered.
Implications for the measurement of social quality
marital status, age of the youngest child, the number of children (variations among countries)
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