“Having children is a risk factor for poverty.” This pithy statement is from Save the Children and is interesting for a few reasons. First, because it is not a reflection in the air. This is almost the conclusion of a detailed report that analyzes how much parenthood burdens the country’s economy with specific figures and percentages. Second, this study focused on Spain, a country with a low and clearly declining birth rate despite having reached a record population level thanks to increased immigration.

In fact, the report leaves out a fundamental question that has also arisen in previous studies by the CIS or INE: To what extent do the costs of parenthood slow birth rates?

How much does it cost to have a child? 758 euros per month in Spain. And this is the average cost. In some regions, this figure is close to or even exceeds 900 euros. Overall, these reference data represent a figure that is 13% higher than in 2022 and 29% higher than in 2018, when the household economy has not yet been affected by the pandemic and the inflation crisis of recent years.

There is another reason why the €758 monthly spend on parenting is striking, to say the least. Multiplied by 12 months of the year, this figure represents a significant portion of the average spending of the Spanish household; this figure was just over 22,600 in 2023. They also reveal that the “specific inflation” associated with parenthood is greater than general inflation. While the cost of having a child, the first, between 2022 and 2024 increased by 13%, the difference in CPI was only 9.5%.

What does it mean for families? A significant part of your budget. For its study, Save the Children analyzed the impact of parenting costs on different types of families and classified them by income brackets. That is, it explored how much the cost of having children burdens the highest-income and the most modest households. The differences are obvious, but at a general level the NGO concludes that one in every two families with children in their care should devote at least 57% of their disposable income to raising children.

In some cases, these percentages are much higher and can even fill the household’s piggy bank. “The cost of parenting remains unaffordable for the 20% of families with boys and girls on the lowest incomes,” the organization says. “These households, which we number at 895,649, cannot afford the costs of parenting or devoting all resources to it. ” Interestingly, he points out that this phenomenon occurs despite the “steady increase” in income.

Save the Children technicians also praised the “improvement in the income portion” of what families in the middle or lower-middle quintile spend on parenting, meaning they receive the least support. For example, they do not qualify for the minimum vital income. “These are groups of households whose employment rates are good, but where living and child-rearing expenses constitute an increasing proportion of their income.”

Are there differences between regions? Yes. The report states that the average cost of parenting in Spain is 758 euros per child per month, although in some communities the figure is much higher. This figure goes up to 896 euros in Madrid, 866 euros in the Basque Country, 839 euros in the Valencian Community and 938 euros in Catalonia. There are also regions that are below this average. The cost of breeding in Andalusia is $722.

The differences are also notable in terms of the evolution of this cost: in Catalonia, expenditures increased by 15% compared to 2022; This was largely due to the money families spent on housing there; The increase was 10% in Madrid and 13% in Andalusia. Among the communities analyzed, palm is going to Valencia with an increase of 18%.

So what is the money used for? That’s the other big question that the Save The Children study helps answer. Their technicians also investigated how costs were distributed and discovered that there were four big items that took up a large share: food, which represents 19.4% of reproduction; compromise (15.4%) includes expenses for daycare, extracurricular activities, or babysitters; education (12.8%) and housing (12.2%).

For this last concept, housing, technicians tried to evaluate the differences between not having children and having children; This forced them to opt for larger apartments with, for example, one or two extra rooms.

Is there more? Digging into the details also leaves some interesting implications closely linked to macroeconomic drift. For example, housing spending increased by 9.5% in two years between 2022 and 2024, and by 26.1% compared to 2018. The food bill has also increased exponentially: today it is 41.6% higher than before the pandemic.

Another factor that affects a household’s budget is the age of the children. As they get older, they generate more expenses. 758 Euros is the general “picture” that covers a wide range from newborn babies to teenagers coming of age, but also covers realities as different as those among the youngest children (up to three years old) and adolescents up to 13 years old. and 17. The cost of increasing the previous costs is approximately 604 euros per month. The latter is quite high and exceeds 800.

What does he stop reading? Save the Children is very clear. According to him, fatherhood in Spain is “a risk factor for poverty.” “Having children in equal sociodemographic conditions increases the probability of being below the poverty line by 70%,” the organization says. The conclusion is also presented with a number of thought-provoking data and ideas, including the fact that just over a third (34.5%) of children in Spain will be living at risk of poverty or social exclusion in 2023; this data will be 10 points above this data. European average (24.8%).

The NGO also warns that the rising cost of parenthood “poses an additional challenge for millions of households.” And remember that in some cases, this disability translates into decisions that directly affect households and children: giving up certain foods, missing out on dentists and ophthalmologists, or not attending supplement classes at school. “The percentage of children experiencing severe lack of access to essential goods and services in their homes increased from 10.1% before the pandemic to 12.3%.”

Does it affect the birth rate? Everything points to yes. Save the Children states this in its report and warns that the high cost of raising children affects those who are considering having children. “The gap between desired and effective fertility is one of the largest in Europe. 20% of women with children over 40 would like to have more. Almost half of those without children would want this. In these dynamics, economic, labor or compromise reasons play an important role plays a role,” the organization says, finding a way “to break the cycle of poverty and help families have the children they want”: policies that support nurturance.

Is he the only one who notices this? No. The Save the Children study is interesting because it provides detailed and updated data, but it is not the first organization to warn about how the cost of living, workplace and work-life balance are slowing the Spanish birth rate to some extent. . A few weeks ago, another valuable perspective was offered in CIS fertility research.

After conducting more than 5,700 interviews, their technicians came to some telling conclusions: When respondents were asked why, in their opinion, people do not have children, 77.3% noted “lack of economic means”, 44.1% mentioned “compromise” . problems” and 26.4% are difficulties in combining parenting and professional development.

“80.7% agree that children create an economic burden for parents, and 69.9% ‘strongly agree or agree’ that having children reduces opportunities for employment and advancement for one or both parents,” the CIS said.

Does it affect you in other ways? Yes, it delays motherhood. INE had already pointed this out in its 2018 fertility survey and listed here a few percentages that invite further thought. First, 42% of women aged 18 to 55 living in Spain claim to have had their first child later than they would consider “ideal.” There are various factors that affect this delay; for example, not having a stable romantic partner, their health, or not feeling ready.

However, work, family reconciliation and economic motivations are still on the list; these are mainly among young women who have not yet reached their thirties. They are also determining factors for people aged 30-39. The latter actually goes far beyond other reasons, such as objections due to age or lack of a partner.

Pictures | Picsea (Unsplash), Priscilla Du Preez ca (Unsplash) and Save The Children

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