Spousal splitting: Someone has to look after the children

The government wants to get more people into work through reforms, including spousal splitting. A new study shows that care needs to be better.

April 16, 2026, 5:44 am

Article summary

The federal government plans to generate more working hours through reforms, especially among women. A study by the Future Department research institute shows that expanding care options is crucial for the success of these measures. Particularly critical is the non-contributory co-insurance, which, according to economists, inhibits people from taking up work. Better integration of social benefits, on the other hand, could lead to an increase in employment of up to 181,000 full-time equivalents and even rehabilitate state finances.

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More reforms bring more working hours – That’s what the federal government is announcing these days. A number of the plans currently being discussed in the coalition, which are intended to stimulate the national economy, are intended to lead to women in particular increasing their working hours. After all, Germany has a demographic problem that weakens the location.

But does this calculation work? In a study available exclusively to ZEIT, the research institute Dezernat Zukunft examined three reform options: the abolition of the Spousal splitsthe end of non-contributory co-insurance with health insurance companies and a closer integration of the various social benefits. The conclusion: The desired workplace effects depend heavily on whether and to what extent childcare options are expanded, for example in schools and daycare centers. “Even if it is financially worthwhile for someone to go to work themselves, the framework conditions must be in place to be able to go to work more,” says the study.