Spain still cannot get out of the hole of child poverty. Raising a boy or a girl never stops getting uphill, at least financially. Since 2018, the average monthly cost of parenting has increased by 29%, and since 2022, it has increased by 13%, according to the latest calculation made by Save the Children. In summary: now we have to face an average effort of 758 euros per son or daughter each month, that is, 170 euros more than six years ago.
The work of Save the Children breaks down the calculation by items such as food, housing, education or transportation, and includes the consequences of an extraordinary period of price evolution.
Inma is a single mother of a 12-year-old boy and feels that “there is no way” to move forward. Both form one of the 530,000 single-parent households in Spain. Half are at risk of poverty, according to this report, which highlights the special vulnerability of this type of family.
Inma has intracranial hypertension, which limits her chances of finding work. However, reality does not stop and comes upon him: his son is autistic, has attention deficit and hyperactivity, and has just started at a specialized institute. “He needs a lot of help,” says the woman. They buy less and less and the variety of foods in their refrigerator is progressively reduced. “Ideally, all I want is for him to be happy and be able to do whatever he wants,” she says with a lump in her throat when talking about her financial problems.
Inma and her son are an example of what the organization’s work reveals. In a context of widespread income growth and despite the fact that different poverty indicators were reduced in 2023 for almost all age groups and household types, child poverty not only persists, but is worsening.
“The economic handicap that parenting represents for households is worsening and consolidating as a structural anomaly in Spain, with unaffordable costs for society,” they denounce. One in every two families with sons or daughters in Spain must allocate more than half of their income to child-rearing expenses. Families with children face specific inflation higher (between 37% and 52% higher) than average, especially in those whose children are approaching puberty or entering adolescence. “The reality that many households experience raises a series of questions about the current design of public policies for parenting. In 2023, 34.5% of children and adolescents were at risk of poverty or social exclusion.
Having daughters or sons is a risk factor for poverty: with equal sociodemographic conditions, having sons or daughters increases the probability of being below the poverty line by 70%.
Having daughters or sons is a risk factor for poverty: with equal sociodemographic conditions, the probability of being below the poverty line increases by 70%. “This is an unacceptable problem that hinders the present and future well-being of one million boys and girls in Spain, whose impact in economic and social terms falls on society as a whole,” they explain.
Housing and Food, those that have increased the most
The percentage of girls and boys whose homes have severe lack of access to fundamental goods and services has gone from 10.1% before the pandemic to 12.3%. The expenses that have increased the most since 2022 have been those related to housing (63%) and food (26%). Furniture and fixtures, as well as clothing and footwear for different life stages, are other items with greater growth.
Although the increase in healthcare is strong in percentage terms when including the cost of visual health products, they end up having a lower weight than other items. However, Save The Children points out, these products often involve “significant and unforeseen outlays.” According to the Living Conditions Survey, 43% of boys and girls live in homes that have serious difficulties in meeting unforeseen expenses, 4 percentage points more than in 2022.
But not all games evolve upwards. Spending on transportation has been significantly reduced, by 21%, and in conciliation it has not increased, which reflects the effect of policies to reduce public transportation prices for children and adolescents or certain advances in free schooling. child, the report says.
Territorial and age inequalities
At the national level, the cost of parenting varies significantly depending on age. For children from 0 to 3 years old, the average expense has increased by 9% since 2022, reaching 604 euros per month, a figure dominated by the costs of reconciliation – nursery schools -, housing and food. In the next stage, from 4 to 6 years, spending rises to 692 euros per month, driven by greater needs in education and food, with an increase of 13.5% compared to 2022.
The cost reaches its highest point between 7 and 12 years, with 812 euros per month. This is the most expensive period due to the increase in food and current expenses. Adolescence follows, from 13 to 17 years old, with an average expenditure of 807 euros per month, marked by greater needs in leisure, technology and food. In these older age groups (from 7 to 17 years old), food represents the greatest structural cost in upbringing. This expense, strongly impacted by inflation, makes this stage the one that entails the most additional extra costs for families, accentuating economic difficulties in a context of high prices and growing needs.
Catalonia has an average cost of 938 euros per month, which is 30% more than in Andalusia, the most affordable region with 722 euros per month.
Added to this is the reality that it does not cost the same to raise a child in all regions of Spain, as there are evident significant territorial disparities. Catalonia, for example, has an average cost of 938 euros per month, which is 30% more than in Andalusia, the most affordable region with 722 euros per month. In second place is Madrid, with 896 euros per month; followed by Euskadi, with 866 euros; and the Valencian Community, with 839 euros.
And these differences become more acute when they overlap with variations according to age. For example, in Catalonia a teenager costs up to 993 euros per month, compared to 796 euros for a child under three years old. Similarly, in Madrid and Euskadi, costs for adolescents exceed 900 euros, while Andalusia continues to be the cheapest region, with 570 euros for children under three years of age and 776 euros for adolescents.
A universal child benefit as an essential measure
Spain has one of the highest child poverty rates in Europe. Being a boy or girl in our country means living ten points above the European average (24.8%) in terms of risk of poverty or social exclusion. Also in our territory, 1.16 sons or daughters are born per woman, the lowest rate in all of Europe, and the gap between desired and effective fertility is one of the largest on the continent. 20% of women over 40 with children would have wanted to have more, and of those who did not have, almost half would have wanted to.
Faced with this situation of “social crisis”, which especially affects the most vulnerable households, Save the Children proposes strengthening support measures that place children and their socio-material conditions at the center of political action, both at the state and territorial level.
Save the Children recommends implementing a universal child benefit, especially for lower-middle-income households now that this proposal has emerged in the political debate
As they had already been doing, they recommend as a priority to implement a universal benefit for sons or daughters, especially for lower-middle-income households. But now they do so at a time when this proposal has finally emerged in the political debate. This measure, not unusual in Europe, would help cover a significant part of the costs of raising children and eliminate bureaucratic barriers and the stigma that families often face when requesting help, the organization analyzes. In addition, it could be adopted as a refundable tax deduction or as direct aid, ensuring that the most vulnerable families receive the necessary support.
They demand as a second line of action to redesign and revalue the Childhood Assistance Complement (CAPI), which replaced the old dependent child benefit (PHC). They highlight how “fundamental” it is to increase the amounts of the CAPI, especially for older age groups, which entail higher expenses and they assure that currently the aid is insufficient to cover the high costs of parenting.
This entity suggests creating a “breeding price index” that allows social benefits, such as the CAPI, to be updated according to the real evolution of costs. This indicator, they explain, should be institutionalized to guarantee that aid is sufficient to cover extra costs, especially in contexts of high inflation.
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