Anna Karmann, Melanie Wagner, Valeria Bordone and Caroline Berghammer: Divorce and Economic Disruption: Longitudinal insights from Austrian Register Data
This study examines the consequences of separation for living standards and the risk of poverty in Austria (2011–2020) using administrative data. We trace pre- and post-separation trajectories and compare gendered patterns across younger and late-life breakups. Women – especially older women and mothers – experience larger and more persistent losses and higher poverty risk than men. Inequalities are strongest in couples where men contribute a larger share of household income. Repartnering – more common among younger women– largely compensates losses in living standards.
Melanie Wagner, Anna Karmann, Caroline Berghammer, Valeria Bordone: Inequality in Residential Mobility After Union Dissolution: A Study of Austrian Couples
This study examines the residential and housing consequences of union dissolution in Austria using registry data from 2011–2021, tracking ex-couples for five years after separation. Gendered patterns are analysed using descriptive statistics and multinomial logistic regressions. Initial results indicate that women relocate more often than men, particularly when there are socioeconomic differences, but less so when children are present. Women tend to become single parents and move shorter distances, while men often live alone. Unlike men, women are less likely to remain homeowners. The findings highlight how dissolution deepens gender inequalities, offering novel Austrian evidence and including both married and cohabiting couples.
Maria Karlene Shawn Cabaraban, Valeria Bordone, Damiano Ucceddu: Mind the gaps: The hidden role of work-family life histories in shaping unequal cognitive rewards of grandchild care in Europe
Grandparental involvement in childcare has previously been linked to cognitive benefits in later life. Yet, grandparental caregivers may differ in their work and family life courses, suggesting potential heterogeneity in the cognitive consequences of grandchild care. Using retrospective life history and panel information from a sample of adults aged 50 to 80 in the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), this study examines whether caregiving grandparents exhibit better cognitive performance (in tests of memory recall and verbal fluency) than non-caregiving grandparents, and provides new insights by investigating whether this relationship differs across work-family life courses. Preliminary findings show that frequent grandchild caregivers (i.e., weekly or more) demonstrate higher cognitive performance than non-caregivers. However, this finding holds true only among grandmothers with histories of continuous domestic work and little to no paid employment.
