Child poverty, in Italia it is close to 50% if the only parent is the mother

Child poverty in Italia remains among the highest in Europe and increases in single-parent families, especially in those formed by mothers. Female employment in our country is, in fact, very low, just over 50 per cent, women earn less than their partners and so, when they are left alone, the risk of poverty and social exclusion increases.

In Italia 26.7% of minors under 16 years of age - more than 2 million - live in conditions of poverty or social exclusion (against an EU average of 24.2%), a percentage that in the south and for foreign minors exceeds 40% and in single-parent households rises to 38% (to 53% in the case of several children). But if the parent is the mother, 48.4% of minors are at risk of poverty or social exclusion (up from 42.4% in 2021), if it is the father 30.9% (25.6%).

"The second income is the main protection from poverty for children. And it is often that of women, who work and earn less. This increases the risk of poverty in single-parent families, more than 80 per cent of which consist of mothers," explains Manuela Naldini, family sociologist and professor at the University of Turin. 'Even when there is shared custody and fathers contribute economically, for example, through the maintenance allowance,' the sociologist specifies, 'the level of women's incomes remains lower and this exposes women more to poverty and social exclusion'.

According to Naldini, the first cause of the high level of child poverty in Italia is linked to the poor monetary transfers: "our system of monetary transfers for families with children has a very limited capacity to reduce the risk of poverty, compared to other countries, such as Ireland or Denmark, for example", warns the sociologist. The picture is aggravated by the poor structure of services, even though in 2024 the percentage of children aged between 0 and 2 enrolled in formal childcare (early childhood education and care) reached 39.4 per cent, an increase of 4.9 percentage points compared to 2023. The threshold set by the EU is 45% by 2030. Large disparities remain between north and south and between large and small centres. "This increases the risk that women not only leave their jobs, but also reduce their work commitments, even when there is a separation," adds Naldini.