Love or finances

Does the first child determine poverty in old age?

Equal family planning is often easier said than done. How can couples make financially fair decisions?(Bild: Irina Heß / Westend61 / picturedesk.com, Krone KREATIV)

Many couples who want to live on an equal financial footing fail by the time they have their first child. This phenomenon, also known as retraditionalization, can cause women to slip into poverty in old age. This raises the question: How do you sort out joint finances in a timely and fair manner?

Mother's Day is just around the corner: for Monika*, it's the first ever, as her first-born was only born eight months ago. Since then, she has been on maternity leave and is looking after their child at home. The couple still remember the time when they talked about their ideas of equality in their family arrangements, but in the end they ended up with the traditional division: Monika stays at home, her partner Lukas* goes to work.