Fewer and fewer children in Italy and not for contraceptives related to women’s reproductive health, as they want us to believe – see the section “Free contraceptive pills”, and therefore raising a child in our country has become more and more expensive. We are talking about Istat data, processed by the Bank of Italy, which calculated that about 640 euros per month for the maintenance of a child from birth to 18 years. The price includes purchases of goods and services intended exclusively for children. In the first place are food expenses, then transport and household expenses. A significant portion of leisure spending, such as hobbies and sports, follows education (kindergartens and schools), clothing, and health, which together corresponds to about a quarter of the average household income.
Spending was slightly lower in 2020 (€580), but only because pandemic-related restrictions limited travel and leisure spending. Otherwise, the most expensive items are products for children, such as diapers and, above all, kindergartens, which, among other things, are still insufficient for the needs of families who always have problems when it comes to managing loads. In short, raising a child in Bel Paese is overwhelming for many. According to the Moneyfarm website referenced by Tpi, supporting a child between the ages of 0 and 18 costs between 96,000 and 183,000 euros. The figure is in line with the Federconsumatori Observatory, which calculated an average cost of 175,642 euros, averaging over 7,000 euros per year.
Based on these reports, expenditures increase with age and are higher in the center-north than in the south. If up to three years it takes from 10,000 to 25,000 euros to raise a child, then from 4 to 5 years the amount varies from 10,000 to 27,000 euros. From 6 to 11 years old it increases from 28,000 to 48,000 euros, and from 12 to 18 years old – from 45,000 to 74,000 euros. And with the precarious working conditions of many workers, especially women, still entangled in part-time contracts at unfavorable terms, planning a pregnancy poses too much of a risk for many parents. To the point that many couples are postponing or even giving up on fatherhood. So far, inflation has spared spending on leisure and culture, but not on food, which has risen in price by 20% compared to the pre-coronavirus period. It is no coincidence that 2022 became a record negative year in terms of a decrease in the birth rate: only 393 thousand births against 713 thousand deaths, with a negative natural balance of -320 thousand units.
There are no surefire recipes, but it is clear that providing better working conditions for women is a necessary condition for increasing fertility. Families with double pay will actually be able to build a life plan that also includes the birth of one or more children, a way out of a deadlock that risks blocking the entire country from an economic and social point of view.
Source: Elle