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Screenshot from German public radio: www.deutschlandfunk.de\/kinderarmut<\/p>\nScreenshot from German public radio: www.deutschlandfunk.de\/kinderarmut<\/p>\n
Despite the false promises<\/a> of neoliberal capitalism and its tireless ideological cheerleaders, capitalism has always coexisted with \u2013 and at times produced \u2013 staggering levels of child poverty<\/a>. Not even the sacred dogma of \u201cpersonal responsibility<\/a>\u201d can hide that fact.<\/p>\n Germany, so often presented as a wealthy nation<\/a>, exhibits shockingly high levels of child poverty<\/a>. According to Germany\u2019s own statistical office<\/a> \u2013 to make it all very \u201cofficial\u201d \u2013 every seventh child\u00a0is already at risk of poverty. That means living right on the edge of the poverty line.<\/p>\n In everyday life, this translates into a broken bed that cannot be replaced, no cinema, no participation in school excursions, and certainly no vacation. Welcome to Germany, 2025<\/a>.<\/p>\n The raw numbers<\/a> are devastating: 2.2 million children and young people in Germany are at risk of poverty. These children cannot all have made the \u201cwrong life choices,\u201d they cannot all be lazy, and they certainly cannot all be unwilling to work.<\/p>\n In short: statistics defeat neoliberal ideology<\/a>. The much-trumpeted notion of \u201ccompetition\u201d produces not only winners but an entire raft of losers.<\/p>\n Beyond the general dynamics of capitalism, additional risk factors include a social mobility that is hardening into near immobility. Leaving the precariat<\/a>, the manual working class, or the Lumpenproletariat<\/a> is becoming nearly impossible.<\/p>\n Worse: the low educational level of parents almost predetermines a child\u2019s future poverty. According to German statistics<\/a>, 15.2% of all children \u2013 or 2.2 million under 18 \u2013 are at risk of poverty.<\/p>\n And this is an increase: the previous year\u2019s rate was 14%<\/a>. These children live with less than 60% of the average \u201cnet equivalent income.\u201d In other words, when others have \u20ac10, they have \u20ac6. When a school trip costs \u20ac200, they can pay only \u20ac140 \u2013 \u20ac60.- short.<\/p>\n For a household of two adults and two children, a net income below \u20ac2,900 per month ($3,340) means poverty risk. That might look like a lot \u2014 but in a high-cost country like Germany, it is not.<\/p>\n Take housing: a random search for a three-bedroom apartment in Frankfurt \u2014 for example, in Frankenallee 98 \u2013 102 \u2013 shows a Kaltmiete<\/a> between \u20ac820 and \u20ac2,800 (excluding heating, gas, electricity). A small 65m\u00b2 apartment in Frankfurt-Nied costs \u20ac1,190. Averaging these figures, one can say such a family might rent a Frankfurt apartment for around \u20ac1,500 per month \u2013 before utilities.<\/p>\n With an income of \u20ac2,900, that leaves\u00a0\u20ac1,400 per month, or\u00a0\u20ac350 per week, or\u00a0\u20ac87.50 per person per week. Not much for life in Germany. Incidentally, a pair of Levi\u2019s 505<\/a> jeans on Amazon.de costs \u20ac101. Buying one pair of non-luxury jeans means having no money left for food that week.<\/p>\n For single parents with one child, poverty risk begins below \u20ac1,800; for a person living alone, below \u20ac1,381 per month. The consequences are severe:<\/p>\n 19% \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 of children live in households that cannot replace broken furniture;<\/p>\n 12% \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 cannot afford a week-long vacation;<\/p>\n 5%\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 must forgo leisure activities like sports clubs or cinema; about<\/p>\n 3% \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 cannot afford a second pair of good everyday shoes. Between<\/p>\n 1\u20132% \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 of children under 16 cannot invite friends home, celebrate birthdays, or eat fresh vegetables daily.<\/p>\n Germany\u2019s hyper-bureaucratic definition of deprivation involves 17<\/a> indicators \u2013 and failing three means a child is considered materially and socially disadvantaged.<\/p>\n According to the Statistical Office<\/a>, more children are at risk than last year. Child poverty in Germany is worsening, not improving. The data is described as \u201cunfavourable<\/a>\u201d \u2013 a polite euphemism for poverty. In some groups, risk levels exceed 40%.<\/p>\n Germany\u2019s rate of 15.5% may sit below the EU average of 19.3%, but that offers no comfort to a child with broken shoes and no breakfast. And compared to last year\u2019s 14%, the increase is significant. Children whose parents have only a secondary school certificate and no vocational qualification face a 41.8% poverty risk. With vocational training or Abitur<\/a>, it drops to 15.2%. With a master\u2019s-level degree, it falls to 7.2%.<\/p>\n Children of parents with low educational attainment \u2013 through no fault of their own \u2013 must often do without a second pair of shoes, leisure activities, school trips, adequate living space, or even a one-week annual holiday. Many German workers enjoy six weeks\u2019 leave; poor children stay home.<\/p>\n Child poverty affects every aspect of life. Such children are sick more often, face reduced educational opportunities, and of course endure bullying for not having the latest fashion, a phone, or a flashy school bag<\/a> for \u20ac200.<\/p>\n And when you think it can\u2019t get worse: it does. Over 60,000 children\u00a0leave school each year without any degree \u2013 poverty essentially pre-programmed. They lack support from exhausted parents juggling insecure, underpaid jobs, from overburdened teachers, and from a state more concerned with neoliberal narratives about \u201cwelfare dependency<\/a>\u201d than with real children\u2019s lives.<\/p>\n In short, the outlook for many children in Germany in 2025 is bleak. Many continue to fall behind in chances for a good start in life and any meaningful future prospects. Despite the rhetoric of opportunity,\u00a0a large chunk of children in Germany have none.<\/p>\n More than\u00a0one million children lack essential prerequisites for social participation or later professional success. Many do not even have a place to do homework, cannot afford a full meal or even a d\u00f6ner kebab<\/a>, and rarely join leisure activities with friends.<\/p>\n There are three rather simple truths:<\/p>\n But instead of confronting the systemic roots, public debate frequently shifts blame onto families. The old trick: blame the victims<\/a> so capitalism remains invisible. Meanwhile, media capitalism ensures endless talk about economic growth<\/a> \u2013 as if it were infinite and inherently virtuous \u2013 while almost no one discusses how this growth is distributed or the structural causes of child poverty.<\/p>\n The resulting stress<\/a> on children is enormous. Reports show sharp increases in physical and psychological complaints: 40% of young people \u00a0now report such issues.<\/p>\n Progress on child poverty has stagnated for years. Child poverty hovers around 15% \u2013 14% in 2023. Today, 1.9 million children rely on allowances.<\/p>\n Health<\/a> problems are rising: in 2022, 40% of 11- to 15-year-olds had headaches, stomach aches, or sleep problems multiple times a week \u2013 compared to 24% in 2014.<\/p>\n Worse: many children rate their own mental health<\/a> and life satisfaction as low. Depending on gender and family income, scores range from 51% to 67%. Financially disadvantaged girls score 51, barely above the threshold indicating depression.<\/p>\n In other words, support from families and schools is insufficient \u2013 and internationally, Germany performs poorly. Only 54% of 15-year-old girls report high family support (Switzerland: 69%). Only 26% feel supported by teachers (Norway: 53%).<\/p>\n Overall, one gets the impression that \u2013 beyond using children as labour or as consumers<\/a> \u2013 capitalism has little interest in them. Responsibility is conveniently offloaded onto parents, following the neoliberal creed of \u201cindividual responsibility\u201d and the classic \u201cblame the victim\u201d strategy.<\/p>\n Germany must act decisively to give children<\/a> better starting conditions and real prospects. That requires targeted investment in disadvantaged children and strengthened family resources \u2013 expanded school support programmes, improved day-care strategies, and a comprehensive plan to reduce child poverty<\/a>.<\/p>\n Subscribe to Our Newsletter<\/p>\n Get the latest CounterCurrents updates delivered straight to your inbox.<\/p>\n Born on the foothills of Germany\u2019s\u00a0Castle Frankenstein<\/a>,\u00a0Thomas Klikauer<\/a>\u00a0is the author of over 1,100 publications. He writes for ZNet, Countercurrents, and Cross Border Talks\u00a0(CBT: as a columnist).\u00a0His homepage is:\u00a0https:\/\/klikauer.wordpress.com\/<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Screenshot from German public radio: www.deutschlandfunk.de\/kinderarmut Despite the false promises of neoliberal capitalism and its tireless ideological cheerleaders,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":598638,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5310],"tags":[2000,299,1824],"class_list":{"0":"post-598637","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-germany","8":"tag-eu","9":"tag-europe","10":"tag-germany"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115625787101889336","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/598637","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=598637"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/598637\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/598638"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=598637"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=598637"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=598637"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n