Two hearts and a loan? Mortgages, employment insecurity and earnings among young couples in six European countries

• Published in: Urban studies (Edinburgh, Scotland) Scotland), 2018-08, Vol.55 (11), p.2451-2469
• Main Authors: Sani, Giulia M Dotti, Acciai, Claudia
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Couples; Criteria; Cultural differences; Earnings; Economic conditions; Economic policy; Employment; Home ownership; Households; Housing; Income; Insecure; Insecurity; International comparisons; Job security; Loans; Low income groups; Mortgages; National security; Policy making; Poverty; Profits; Security; Social inequality; Social scientists; Stability; Stability criteria; Uncertainty; Underemployment; Wages & salaries; Young adults; Youth; Youth employment
• ISSN: 0042-0980; 1360-063X
• DOI: 10.1177/0042098017717211

Homeownership is increasingly understood by policy makers and social scientists as a fundamental asset against poverty risks, especially in times of economic uncertainty. However, in several Western countries, homeownership among younger generations appears to be increasingly difficult to achieve, likely a result of growing employment instability and stringent criteria to access credit. This article uses multinomial logistic models and nationally representative EU-SILC data from six European countries to examine (a) to what extent precarious employment among young couples is linked to being a mortgage holder; (b) whether earned income can compensate for employment instability in being a mortgagee; (c) cross-national differences in the relationship between being a mortgage holder, earnings, and employment insecurity. Our results indicate that the higher the levels of employment insecurity, the lower the chances of being a mortgage holder in all countries. Moreover, we find that at a given level of employment insecurity, households with higher levels of earned income have higher chances of being mortgage holders than households with lower earned income. However, while earned income has a stronger effect in achieving a mortgage among couples who have secure employment in Italy, earnings are more important among couples with lower levels of employment security in France, the UK, Spain and Poland. These results suggest that the relationship between social inequalities and housing is partially mediated by the national context. 决策者和社会科学研究者日益将房屋所有权理解为规避贫困风险的根本资产，尤其是在经济不确定的时期。但是，在一些西方国家，年轻人似乎越来越难取得房屋所有权，其可能的原因包括就业不稳定和信贷要求严厉。本文采用多项逻辑斯蒂模型和欧洲六国具有全国代表性的欧盟人口收入和生活条件统计 (EU-SILC) 数据来考察：1) 年轻夫妇的不稳定就业在多大程度上与持有按揭贷款相关；2) 劳动收入是否能补偿按揭者的就业不稳定；3) 持有按揭贷款、收入和就业不稳定之间关系的各国差异。我们的研究结果表明，就业不稳定程度越高，成为按揭贷款持有者的几率就越低。此外，我们发现，在就业不稳定性达到一定程度时，劳动收入水平越高的家庭比劳动收入水平低的家庭有更大的可能性成为按揭贷款持有者。但是，在意大利，有稳定工作的夫妇，劳动收入对持有按揭贷款的影响较大，而在法国、英国、西班牙和波兰，劳动收入对于就业稳定性较低的夫妇更重要。这些结果表明，各国的不同情况部分影响社会不平等与住房之间的关系。