Among the roughly 10,000 families surveyed were couples who lived with their common children only (referred to as nuclear families). To be counted as a stepfamily, at least one child living in the household must have come from a previous partnership. The proportion of stepfamilies is 13% in West Germany and 18% in East Germany. The higher diffusion in East Germany was anticipated, as a greater number of single parents and couples in non-marital unions live there.

Big differences between France and West Germany, and the East

West German families in general have the fewest economic problems. However, at 10% the economic gap between nuclear and stepfamilies is greater in West Germany than anywhere else. In France, the average stepfamily reported a financial status around 6% lower than that of the average nuclear family; while in East Germany and the Russian Federation, no economic differences were found between the two groups. In all countries studied, single parents were shown to be clearly disadvantaged.

In France, this disadvantage can be explained by the greater number of children in stepfamilies (an average of 3.19, compared to 2.23 in nuclear families). In West Germany, by contrast, neither family size nor other socioeconomic factors, such as education or unemployment, were shown to be responsible for the disadvantage.

In West Germany, this difference may be attributable to the generous child support payments that, until 2005, fathers were responsible for, thus reducing the amount of money available for their new families. By contrast, in the East, where step- and nuclear families are equally situated, child support payments have never played a large role. Whether these differences will remain following the recent reform of the child support law is an important question for future research.

The authors of the MPIDR study therefore used data from the Generations and Gender Survey (GGS) from the years 2004 and 2005 for France, Germany, and the Russian Federation.

Will Europe become a region of old and handicapped inhabitants? The share of people aged 55 and over has increased rapidly indeed. It rose from a quarter in 1990 to a third in 2010 and is estimated to reach around 40 percent in 2060. However, people are not only living longer now, they are also staying healthier than earlier generations. “Active ageing is about helping older people to stay in work and share their experience. It is about them continuing to play an active role in society and living as healthy, independent and fulfilling lives as possible”, Lázlò Andor, EU Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion said.

Focusing on employment, participation and independent living

There are several fields in which action can be taken: For example cities can join the age-friendly cities programme of the World Health Organisation, companies can improve the working conditions for older employees, and charitable organisations can offer volunteer work. "The Year calls for action in different areas - employment, social protection, education and training, health and social services, housing and public infrastructure", said Andor.

During the year of active ageing, hundreds of activities, projects and events will take place and will be announced by the EU and on national levels.

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