Inequalities over the life cycle: The role of welfare and family dynamics

Does inequality differ at different age cohort? Namely, is the distance between the richest and the poorest young individual different by the distance among the richest and the poorest elder individual? In this respect, do different dimensions of inequality (education, health, earning, income, …) perform similarly over life cycle? Using data from the European Survey on Income and Living conditions (2016) we observe how inequality in different domains changes over the life cycle.

In addition, exploiting the variability in welfare policies and family behaviours over 30 European countries, we investigate the determinants of different levels of inequality. We find that inequality in income is minimal at the beginning of work career (30-35 years old), inequality in health increases over life, and inequality in education is increasing after the age of compulsory schooling, but is also high for young children (0-5 years old). In general, inequality is lower in countries and in moments in life when people receive more support from the State while inequality is higher and where/when people are more likely to live in single-parental households.