Does Family Policy Environment Moderate the Effect of Single-Parenthood on Children’s Academic Achievement? A Study of 14 European Countries

Abstract

This paper examines whether national family and welfare policies reduce or exacerbate the effects of single-parenthood on a child’s educational achievement. Using the Third International Math and Science Study (TIMSS), we compare 5th grade students from English single-parent families with their counterparts from 13 other European countries. The analysis results suggest that the achievement gap between students from two-parent and single-parent families is far greater in England than it is in all other countries, with the exception of Scotland. The evidence provided in this study suggests that a nation’s family policy environment plays an important role in moderating the influence of single-parenthood on children’s academic achievement.