Having children multiplies poverty risk as family support falls short
Pastora Ndong, 39, six children and 60% of her salary going on rent. The debate over whether having children impoverishes due to a lack of benefits or personal choices.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Six children and 60% of her salary on rent: the impossible equation of child poverty
Pastora Ndong is 39 years old, has six children, and an exhaustion that sums up the trap of child poverty in Spain. Rent takes 60% of her income, and every month she falls further into debt. Her story, published by El País, has peine the debate over whether having children multiplies the risk of falling into poverty due to a lack of benefits or because of personal choices. In Spain, one in three children is at risk of exclusion, according to data from the same article, a rate comparable to that of Romania and Bulgaria.
The individual responsibility argument
The majority view holds that having six children on a precarious income is irresponsible. "If I'd had two or three, I'd be living the dream," sums up one of the voices in the analysis. Critics argue that, instead of demanding benefits, the solution is not to have more children than you can support. They point out that Zapatero's "baby bonus" failed to reverse the decline in birth rates among Spaniards, while immigration keeps the figures up. For this camp, the problem is not a lack of benefits but excessive dependence on the State and a lack of foresight.
The opposite side: a system that fails families
Against this, a minority argues that the problem is systemic: the cost of housing, job insecurity and insufficient benefits turn raising children into a game of Russian roulette. Pastora Ndong herself, with six children and one with autism, is proof that even working doesn't get you out of the hole. It is pointed out that family benefits in Spain are scarce compared with other European countries, and that the individual responsibility narrative hides the absence of public policies. "Let others' slaves provide them," reads one comment reflecting the exasperation at the pressure to have children without a safety net.
The debate leaves an uncomfortable question: while Spain's birth rate plummets and those who do have children are stigmatised, the system still offers no real alternatives. Neither the baby bonus nor current benefits have made young people want to have children, and those who do often face poverty. The solution, if there is one, is unclear.
Related debates in the forum
Pastora Ndong is 39 years old, has six children, and an exhaustion that sums up the trap of child poverty in Spain. Rent takes 60% of her income, and every month she falls further into debt. Her story, published by El País, has peine the debate over whether having children multiplies the risk of falling into poverty due to a lack of benefits or because of personal choices. In Spain, one in three children is at risk of exclusion, according to data from the same article, a rate comparable to that of Romania and Bulgaria.
The individual responsibility argument
The majority view holds that having six children on a precarious income is irresponsible. "If I'd had two or three, I'd be living the dream," sums up one of the voices in the analysis. Critics argue that, instead of demanding benefits, the solution is not to have more children than you can support. They point out that Zapatero's "baby bonus" failed to reverse the decline in birth rates among Spaniards, while immigration keeps the figures up. For this camp, the problem is not a lack of benefits but excessive dependence on the State and a lack of foresight.
The opposite side: a system that fails families
Against this, a minority argues that the problem is systemic: the cost of housing, job insecurity and insufficient benefits turn raising children into a game of Russian roulette. Pastora Ndong herself, with six children and one with autism, is proof that even working doesn't get you out of the hole. It is pointed out that family benefits in Spain are scarce compared with other European countries, and that the individual responsibility narrative hides the absence of public policies. "Let others' slaves provide them," reads one comment reflecting the exasperation at the pressure to have children without a safety net.
The debate leaves an uncomfortable question: while Spain's birth rate plummets and those who do have children are stigmatised, the system still offers no real alternatives. Neither the baby bonus nor current benefits have made young people want to have children, and those who do often face poverty. The solution, if there is one, is unclear.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (48 replies).
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