Abstract

In the last decade, researchers became interested in children’s pocket money. Although it is a recurrent finding that parents and children believe a social exchange takes place in the family between children’s allowance and their household chores, no research has explicitly analyzed this exchange. Using data from the Divorce in Flanders Survey (N = 686), this paper aims to study the allowance of children as an exchange outcome from household tasks, with an emphasis on the influence of family structure. This influence is explored through the social exchange literature, more specifically through Emerson’s (1962) power-dependence theory. The probability and the amount of pocket money are not only examined in general, but specific logistic and linear regression analyses are also separately performed on the data of children in intact and non-intact families. Household chores, family structure, gender and age of the child, equivalent household income and the number of items children have to pay with their pocket money are included in the analyses. The results are discussed and potential reasons for these findings and recommendations for further research are developed.

How to Cite:

Van den Broeck, L., (2014) “Zakgeld, echtscheiding en macht van het kind: een ruiltheoretische invalshoek”, Sociologos 35(1-2), 6–32. doi: https://doi.org/10.21825/sociologos.86842