The gender dimension of intergenerational transfers in Europe

This paper analyses the gender dimension of intergenerational transfers in 15 European countries using National Transfer Accounts (NTAs) data on age- and gender-specific transfers in 2010. We combine NTA data with information from life tables to derive measures of gender-specific net transfers over the whole life course and by life stages. The analysis distinguishes between public and private transfer flows, and accounts for transfers of services produced by unpaid work. Furthermore, we analyse public transfers in more detail by decomposing public old-age benefits into yearly averages and the number of years that individuals can expect to be net recipients. In all analysed countries, men contribute more to public transfers and finance a larger proportion of consumption needs of children, compared to women. By contrast, women provide most of the transfers of services produced by unpaid work, such as childcare and household work. While yearly net public benefits in old age are considerably smaller for women in most countries, total public benefits over the whole retirement period are higher for women due to their higher life expectancy.