"Childcare Decision and Social Norms: The Role of Kinship Intensity" by Brenda Adiwijaya

Topic

Early childhood care and education (ECEC) is key to increasing female labour-market participation and supports children's social and cognitive development—especially for those from disadvantaged or migrant backgrounds. Yet, ECEC coverage still varies widely across EU member states. Beyond structural barriers like limited availability and affordability, cultural norms influence child-rearing practices, with differences between natives and migrants. However, the role of culture—particularly among second-generation (2G) immigrants—remains underexplored. This study addresses that gap by using kinship intensity to examine childcare decisions among 2G migrants in EU-SILC 2019, aiming to isolate the influence of parental cultural norms from the shared institutional and economic context.