B R í S T O L
U N I V E R S I T Y
P R E S S
Policy Press
injBLISHI'NG W ITH A PURTOSH
le: Policies and p rac tices f o r s ingle p a re n ts in Iceland
thor(s): G uðn ý B jörk Eydal
C hap te r Ti1:
C hap te r Au
Book Titie: The t r ip le b ind o f s in g le -p a re n t fam il ie s
Book Subti1:le: Resources, e m p lo y m e n t and policies to im p ro v e w ellbe ing
Book Editor(s): Rense N ieuw enhu is and Laurie C. Maldonado
Published by: B ris to l U n iv e rs i ty Press; Policy Press
Stable URL: h t t p : / / w w w .js to r .c o m /s ta b le / j .c t t2 2 0 4 rv q .2 3
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Policies and practices for single parents in lceland
support is still needed for the fathers w ho do not share residency w ith
their children to fully participate in the care o f their young children.
The interplay of the policies
T he family m atrix presented in Table 17.3 provides insight in to
how public support for different types o f single-parent families
plays out in reality. An example o f a single-parent family living in
Reykjavik w ith two children (aged five and seven) is used as the basis
for calculations. T he single parents are then placed in four different
hypothetical situations: unem ployed, working full time for m inim um
wage, receiving a disability pension and being a student. For each o f
these four situations, the disposable household incom e is calculated
for both the single m other w ho shares legal residence w ith the child
and the nonresident father.
Even though many children o f single-parent families split their time
50/50 between parents, the family matrix clearly shows that the total
income of the residential parent is much liigher than the total incom e
o f the parent w ho does no t share legal residence with their children.
Tliis has been criticised by scholars, parental organisations and pohcy
maker$ (Eydal & Friðriksdóttir, 2012; Eydal & Hilmarsson, 2012).
Furtherm ore, the m atrix clearly shows that using the time to study
while being a single parent is beneficial in the short term (due to family
benefit not being cut because o f the student loans) and in the long term
(due to people w ho finish their education being more Likely to find
sustainable employment). T he repayment o f the student loan is 3 .75 -
4.75% of one’s wages, depending on what year the loan was taken out.
The fam ily-benefit system has been criticised for being illogical,
and it ías been argued that no one can fully explain the goals o f the
system anymore (Kristjánsson, 2011). This issue has been addressed
in Bills in parliament and proposals to revise the family policy, but
no proposal has gained sufficient support (Alþingi, 2016; Eydal &
Gíslason, 2015). Thus, despite major changes in society and legislation
towards a dual-earner/dual-carer model, the benefit system developed
in 1946-62 is still more or less in place. This benefit system was based
on the idea that the child lives full tim e w ith the resident parent, and
the nonresident parent is obligated to pay a specific m inim um am ount
regardless their financial situation or the level o f contact they have with
their children. T he residential parent receives all the state support:
family benefits, m other/fa ther wages and other cliild-related benefits.
Keeping in m ind the emphasis on the child’s right to care from both
parents in family law, and the equal entidements o f both parents to paid
393
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The triple bind of single-parent families
Table 17.3: Family matrix: Single mothers that share legal residence with
two chíldren age 5 and 9 and the children's non-resident father, both parents
unemp oyed, employed with minimum wages and receiving disability pension,
lceland 20 16
Benefit ; and income per month Single mother Father of the chíldren
Type of income Unemployed Unemployed
Unempl'oyment benefits (100%)
Additiori with two children
Income tax
Mainterance
Mother'; wages
Family benefits
Total di ;posable income
202,054 202,054
16,164 None
-28,904 -23,103
53,390 -53,390
8,531 None
63,474 None
314,709 125,561
Type of ncome Minimum wages
Fulltime work
Minimum wages
Full time work
Income
Income
Mainten
Mother’
ax
ance
wages
Family benefits
Total dis posable income
260,000
-47,786
53,390
8,531
59,296
331,431
260,000
-44,618
-53,390
None
None
162,442
Type of ncome Disabitity pension 100% Disability pension 10 0%
Disability
Income
Maintena
Child
Mother'
Family b
Total di
pen
pension
ax
nce
sion
wages
snefits
posable income
236,845 236,845
-39,188 -36,021
53,390 -53,398
53,390 53,390
8,531 None
61,611 None
374,579 200,824
Type of income Student loan 100% Student loan 100%
Student loan
Income tax
Maintenance
Mother's wages
Family benefits*
Total disposable income
309,290
None
53,390
8,531
68,133
439,334
172,788 + 53,398
None
-53,398
0
0
172,788
Note: *based on the assumption that the student's income is lower than the ceiling for
income Usting of family benefits.
Sources: Tryggingarstofnun rlkislns, n.d. Lánasjóður Islenskra námsmanna, n.d.,
Rlkisskattstjóri, n.d.^Vlnnumálastofnun, n.d.jown calculations
parental leave, the emphasis on one parent receiving all the incom e
suppor': for the child makes the benefit system a historical laggard and
out o f ouch w ith the reality o f most single-parent families.
394
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