<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<p>Before the 2023 summer recess, family policy was, surprisingly, the centre of political debate. Guaranteed child allowance, the abolition of parental benefits for the highest earners, the abolition of income tax relief for married couples, and the pension for surviving dependents were up for negotiation. However, the heated discussions neglected the central question: In which direction is our society headed, and what must our family policy aim for? What criteria should it follow? This article addresses these questions, outlines the situation of children and parents, sketches normative guidelines for an inclusive family policy and makes suggestions for its design.</p>
</abstract>

Before the 2023 summer recess, family policy was, surprisingly, the centre of political debate. Guaranteed child allowance, the abolition of parental benefits for the highest earners, the abolition of income tax relief for married couples, and the pension for surviving dependents were up for negotiation. However, the heated discussions neglected the central question: In which direction is our society headed, and what must our family policy aim for? What criteria should it follow? This article addresses these questions, outlines the situation of children and parents, sketches normative guidelines for an inclusive family policy and makes suggestions for its design.

The Path to a Sustainable Family Policy

Wirtschaftsdienst

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Der Weg zu einer zukunftsfähigen Familienpolitik

Before the 2023 summer recess, family policy was, surprisingly, the centre of political debate. Guaranteed child allowance, the abolition of parental benefits...

The Path to a Sustainable Family Policy

Published Online: Sep 21, 2023

Page range: 595 - 599

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/wd-2023-0168

© 2023 Jutta Allmendinger et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.