- This work arises from the concern to be able to quantify the economic cost of raising a son or daughter and is inspired by a study published periodically by Save The Children Spain.
- During the work, the average cost has been quantified for twelve different expenditure groups and analyzed by age groups.
- With the conclusions that have been reached and together with the Sociology Group of the ARI and with Unicef Andorra, a series of measures are proposed to be able to reduce the cost of parenting, especially for families with less income
Sant Julià de Lòria, June 20, 2023. The study notebook "THE COST OF PARENTING IN ANDORRA" of the Sociology Group of the ARI was presented today. The author is Marta Alberch Terrés, founder and director of Andtropia and has had the collaboration of the National Committee of Andorra for UNICEF.
As Joan Mico, coordinator of the ARI's Sociology Group, declares, "the results we obtained in this first study allow us to quantify the minimum cost of raising a child, so it does not mean that this is what all families have to spend. It is just a basis that should help us understand why Andorra has one of the lowest birth rates in Europe and whether the economic aspect can be one of the factors that can justify this situation. At the same time, we estimate the effort that families must undertake according to their economic status. It will not be the same effort that will be made by a family that has an average income that is above the median.".
As the author explains, the study consists of a quantitative part and another that draws conclusions and proposes actions. For the first, they have been inspired by the periodic study published by Save The Children Spain and have maintained the twelve expenditure groups, although they have been adapted to the level of Andorra. Quantified information is collected on these twelve groups which are food, hygiene, clothing and footwear, education, leisure and toys, healthcare, furniture and utensils, housing, current housing expenses, transport, reconciliation and extraordinary expenses by bands of age ranging from 0 to 17 years. The resulting average is compared with median and median incomes, by quintiles, and with average, median, and minimum wages to find out how much the cost of parenting weighs on a family.
In the second part, a series of recommendations and measures have been worked together with the Sociology Group of the ARI and Unicef Andorra to reverse and lighten the cost that parenting can entail for families.
As Albert Mora, director of Unicef Andorra, comments, the committee "supports any initiative that provides objective information on the situation of children in Andorra. Since 2012, we have published the Children's Observatory annually, a battery of indicators that provide objective information on the situation of children, and which we try to update every year with the most recent data. In 2022, we published a study on the use of technology by teenagers in Andorra, based on a survey of almost 2,000 young people from all education systems. We are pleased to be able to support another study that helps us complete our understanding of childhood in Andorra, which touches on an issue as central to us as the cost of parenting for families. However, we continue to advocate, making constant requests to all official bodies to achieve this regularity in the publications so that even more data are available on all the aspects that may affect childhood and adolescence in Andorra, and we would like to, by this 2023 put a special emphasis on mental health issues.”
Very briefly, the main conclusion that can be drawn from the study is that the average monthly cost of raising a child in Andorra in 2023 is €747 per month.
The ranges from 0 to 3 years and from 13 to 17 years are above this average with €774 and €804, respectively. On the other hand, the ranges of 4 to 6 years with €649 on average and 7 to 12 years with €736 would be below.
The items with the most weight are that of food, that of conciliation and that of housing which already represent 59% of the total. However, depending on the age group, the weight varies slightly, with the item intended for reconciliation between 0 and 3 years representing a higher cost.
By groups, for families in the bottom quintile (with a maximum income of €16,433 according to 2020 data), the cost of parenting would represent 31%. On the other hand, for those in the top quintile (with a minimum income of €34,066 in 2020) it is at most 26%.
If compared with average wages in February 2023, for a single-parent family the cost of raising can represent 32%. If the family is composed of only the mother, and due to the salary gap, the weight would rise to 36%. In the case of a family made up of a single adult earning the median wage, the cost of raising a child would be 40% and in the case you earn the minimum wage, it would be 62%, a cost that could be considered unattainable.
In the notebook attached to this note, the analyzes made for each group of expenditure, which is included in each group of expenditure, the summary tables and the main conclusions that have been reached are included. These conclusions have made it possible to formulate a series of recommendations to be taken into account and where work can begin with the aim that the cost of raising a child is not the main reason for not having one and that the birth rate in Andorra leaves of being one of the lowest in Europe.
The measures and actions have been grouped into five sections which are real free basic services, universal aid and with advance payment, refundable tax deductions, real and effective reconciliation and improved services for single or large families.
Finally, the authors would like to thank the collaboration of all the administrations, entities and people who have participated and made this study possible, especially the College of Dietitians and Nutritionists of Andorra and the Official College of Doctors Andorra who have collaborated in the food and health section, respectively.
In these links, you can download the notebook, the presentation i lin press release.
For more information contact Marta Alberch Terrés by email marta@andtropia.ad or on the phone +376 366 126 or with Joan Mico Ibañez by email jmico@ari.ad or phone +376 742 630.
Here is a summary of the media coverage:
https://www.altaveu.com/actualitat/societat/criar-fill-costa-747-euros-mes_49237_102.html
https://www.andorradifusio.ad/noticies/cost-mitja-criar-fill-andorra-747
https://www.andorradifusio.ad/noticies/unicef-considera-cost-crianca-andorra-hauria
https://forum.ad/lestudi-que-explica-per-que-andorra-es-el-pais-amb-menys-natalitat/
https://www.ara.ad/societat/criar-fill-andorra-costa-747-euros-mensuals-mitjana_1_4735295.html
http://www.bondia.ad/societat/tenir-un-fill-menor-dedat-suposa-un-cost-mensual-mitja-de-747-euros
https://www.elperiodic.ad/editorial/99718/aixo-es-el-que-implica-tenir-un-fill-a-andorra-i-no-sabiem
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