Parents' labour market participation as predictor of children's well-being: changes from 1984 to 1996 in the Nordic countries.

BACKGROUND This study analysed the influence of parents' labour market participation on their children's well-being in the five Nordic countries, and the changes from 1984 to 1996, during which unemployment rates generally rose in the Nordic countries. METHODS Parent-reported questionnaire data from two cross-sectional studies, 12 years apart, with 15,354 (in 1984) and 15,255 (in 1996) randomly selected children aged 2-17 years. The response rates were 67.0% (n=10290) and 67.6% (n=10317), respectively. The parents' assessment of their children's well-being was measured by six items, with three items focusing on psychological functioning and three items on social functioning. RESULTS The association between parents' labour market participation and children's well-being changed from 1984 to 1996. In 1984, more children in families with paid work had low well-being than did children in families without paid work. In 1996, however, the share of children with low well-being was higher among children in families without paid work. This change was most notable in Finland but did not occur in Denmark. The overall level of well-being among children in the Nordic countries remained stable over this period. CONCLUSION The relationship between parents' labour market participation and well-being among children changed from 1984 to 1996. In 1984 low well-being was most common among children in families with paid work, while in 1996 low well-being was more common in families without participation in the labour market. Social inequality in children's well-being thus increased if parents' labour market participation was used as an indicator of socioeconomic status.