The analyses on couples are run on the sub-selection of heads and spouses/partners, which preserves consistency between countries and overtime. A variety of household types is distinguished between. A single-mother household is defined as a household with children below age 17 and no male adults (18+) residinginthis household. The measure of living standard used is disposable household income, which is defined as the sum of income from earnings, capital, private transfers, public social insurance and public social assistance—net of income taxes and social security contributions.