1. Meeting of the European Directors of Social Statistics
DRAFT COMMISSION REGULATION ON THE SILC 2010 MODULE ON INTRA-HOUSEHOLD SHARING OF RESOURCES
POINT 4.4
22-23 September 2008
Meeting of the European Directors of Social Statistics

2. 1. BACKGROUND OF THE PROPOSAL
Regulation No 1177/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning EU-SILC
Themes of the module for 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 are respectively ‘intergenerational transmission of poverty', ‘social participation', ‘housing conditions', ‘over-indebtedness and financial exclusion' and ‘material deprivation'.
The proposed theme for the SILC 2010 module is "intra-household allocation of resources".
Aim of the module:
Gain policy and research relevant insights into how resources such as income are shared within the household
Enrich the information provided by the poverty risk indicators by providing some information on:
whether individuals in households have the same standard of living or not
how transfers are best targeted to reach the most needy
22-23 September 2008
Meeting of the European Directors of Social Statistics

3. 2. DECISION PROCESS
Module was developed by a Task Force (TF) composed of:
Delegates of the National Statistical Institutes of DK, EE, EL, IT, LU, PL, SE and the UK
Three experts in the field (Sophie Ponthieux of INSEE, Professor Danièle Meulders of ULB and Professor Martin Browning of University of Oxford)
Representatives of DG.EMPL, units E.2 and G.1 and of the Indicators Subgroup (ISG) of the Social Protection Committee (SPC)
Three meetings of the TF (18 February, April and 9 July 2008)
Working Group on Living Conditions: discussion of the module at the meeting on 9-11 June 2008 and opinion in two written consultations in July/August 2008
The document presented today takes account, as much as possible, of the comments received
22-23 September 2008
Meeting of the European Directors of Social Statistics

4. 3. OUTLINE OF THE MODULE
The variables of this module are grouped in two categories:
Variables on management and decision-making:
→ 17 variables
→ All compulsory
→ Giving a picture of control and power in the household and whether one gender is more favoured i.e. has more say in decisions
Variables on the outcome of the allocation process in the household related to time use and individual expenditure
→ 5 variables
→ All optional
→ Giving concrete evidence on the allocation of resources within the household and indeed on poverty of individuals and inequality within the household
22-23 September 2008
Meeting of the European Directors of Social Statistics

5. Variables on management and decision-making: collection unit
3. OUTLINE OF THE MODULE
Variables on management and decision-making: collection unit
Household for the 6 variables relating to regime and management of household finance
Persons aged 16 years old and over living in a household with at least two persons aged 16 years old and over for the 4 variables related to the contribution to common household budget and to other household members' budgets, to access to a bank account, to the ability to decide about expenses
Persons aged 16 years old and over living with a couple/partner for the 7 variables related to the decision making (both specific and general) and to the length of cohabitation of the partners
22-23 September 2008
Meeting of the European Directors of Social Statistics

6. 3. OUTLINE OF THE MODULE
Variables on the outcome of the allocation process in the household related to time use and individual expenditure: collection unit
Persons aged 16 years old and over living in a household with at least two persons aged 16 years old and over for the 5 variables related to time use and expenditures
22-23 September 2008
Meeting of the European Directors of Social Statistics

7. 4. POSSIBLE ANALYSIS BASED ON THE MODULE
Examples of possible uses of the questions:
How is power or voice distributed in the household for example in relation to the share of household income the respondent earns or depending on whether the respondent has access to a bank account?
Are there persistent gender differences in power or voice in the household?
Optional: Computing share of work (paid/ unpaid) by gender, correlation e.g. with decision-making variables.
Optional: Are there gender inequalities in the share of leisure or in the share of personal expenditures among household members
In a selected respondent model, information is to be aggregated and comparisons, e.g. by gender can be made at aggregate level
22-23 September 2008
Meeting of the European Directors of Social Statistics

8. 5. NEXT STEPS
Ultimate objective: avoid to have to go to the Council this year
Good compromise now reached among Working Group members and support from the majority of the DSS on the variables to be collected but refinements/ additional guidelines needed
Proposed next steps:
Small scale testing of the new version of the questionnaire (October) in two countries: interview duration + detailed formulation
Slightly amended proposal sent for written consultation:
To WG
To DSS
To SPC
22-23 September 2008
Meeting of the European Directors of Social Statistics

9. Directors of Social Statistics are asked:
6. CONCLUSION
Directors of Social Statistics are asked:
To give their general support to the draft SILC 2010 module
To give their opinion on the proposed way forward, including some small scale testing and written consultations
22-23 September 2008
Meeting of the European Directors of Social Statistics