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------------------------- * * X.com * Facebook * E-Mail * * * X.com * Facebook * E-Mail * Messenger * WhatsApp * Dieser Beitrag stammt aus dem SPIEGEL-Archiv. Warum ist das wichtig? For
Germany, the figures are the warning signs of a demographic time bomb in a fast-graying society. The number of children under the age of 18 in Germany sank to 13.1 million in 2010, down 14
percent from 2000, the German Federal Statistical Office reported Wednesday. The drop came despite considerable efforts by the German government to reverse the declining birthrate through
subsidies made directly to parents and for their childcare. As a percentage of the overall population, Germany has fewer children than any other country in Europe. Only 16.5 percent of the
population is younger than 18 years of age. In other European countries, like France, Great Britain and the Netherlands, those figures are over 20 percent. In Turkey, almost one-third of the
country's population of more than 72 million people is younger than 18. The countries in Europe with the smallest populations of children are Germany, Bulgaria (16.7 percent) and Italy
(16.9 percent). The study, presented in Berlin and based on data from a 2010 micro-census of Germany, also provides other alarming figures related to childhood poverty . Among other things,
the report found that: * Fifteen percent of children in Germany live in poverty. * Children raised by single parents are especially at risk. About 37 percent of them are considered in
danger of falling below the poverty line. * About one-third of children with single parents are living in households that receive social welfare benefits for the long-term unemployed, or
Germany's so-called "Hartz IV" benefits. * Seven percent of the total households stated that they could not afford to pay for regular hobbies for their children. * About
one-fifth of the households do not take annual vacations. * In most of the households, however, fundamental needs like food and clothing are covered, as well as annual birthday parties.
SHARP CONTRASTS BETWEEN EAST AND WEST Michael Kruse, spokesman for the German Children's Fund (Deutsche Kinderhilfswerk), said that the figures are "not acceptable," and
called on the German government to do more to finally "seriously battle" childhood poverty. Meanwhile, Berthold Huber, head of the influential IG Metall metalworkers union, blamed
low wages for contributing to the number of children living in poverty. Huber called for greater "fairness on the labor market." His union is demanding fair wages for workers in
temporary jobs, the establishment of minimum wages and better opportunities for women to switch from part-time to full-time jobs. Noting a stark divide between East and West, the Statistical
Office found that children living in eastern Germany, where unemployment rates are high, were at a higher risk of poverty. In those states, the birth rate has fallen precipitously. From
2000 to 2010, the number of children living in the five eastern states in Germany dropped 29 percent. The statistics suggest that the traditional model -- that of a father, mother and child
living together under one roof -- appears to be fading in the East. In the western states, 79 percent of children live in households where the parents are still married, but this is only
true of 58 percent of children in eastern Germany. There, about 17 percent of children are being raised by unmarried couples, whereas that figure is only 6 percent in the West. Fifteen
percent of children in western Germany are being raised by single parents compared to 24 percent in the East. GOVERNMENT INITIATIVES FAIL TO GAIN TRACTION The German government has been
attempting for a number of years to reverse the decline in birthrates and in the child population. Berlin has passed measures offering more generous maternity, and in some cases paternity,
leave, and it offers monthly subsidies to offset the cost of having children as well as sending them to daycare. Still, Germany hasn't proven as flexible as other European countries in
making society more friendly to working parents. On its editorial page on Thursday, the center-left _Süddeutsche Zeitung_ writes: "Now, as before, the main problem still hasn't
been solved. Germany pays billions to families. (Despite all the premiums and subsidies), it hasn't had much effect. In neighboring France and Denmark, there is less childhood poverty
and the children as a percentage of the overall population is greater. This is because people are better able to reconcile family and work life in those countries. There are also more
childcare offerings for children under three and there are all-day schools (which are less common in Germany). That makes it easier for women to decide to have children. In addition, the
quota of working women is higher than in Germany." Meanwhile, the Berlin daily_ Der Tagesspiegel_ adds: "What perhaps differentiates Germany from its neighbors even more than an
entirely insufficient childcare system is a kind of culture of welcoming newborns. In Finland, for example, the government provides pregnant women with a welcome package for their baby with
clothing, toys and pratical things needed in the first few weeks after birth. In Germany, the first thing new parents get from the government in the mail is a form from the tax office: Each
newborn is immediately issued a tax ID number." dsl -- with wires