Study shows child and youth poverty may exacerbate structural poverty

Rising poverty among children and young people could “highlight the structural nature of poverty” in Portugal and have a “strong impact” on the opportunities and quality of life they will enjoy, according to a study published on Tuesday.

“Although older populations were more prone to poverty before the start of this century, recent years have seen a significant increase in poverty among children and youth, with poverty rates higher than those of the older population and even the population as a whole,” the Intergenerational Equity Index report says. for Portugal”, coordinated by Professor Paulo Trigo Pereira.

The researchers note that this change in the age profile of the poor population, reflected in the increased prevalence of poverty among children, could, if not counteracted, “highlight the structural nature of poverty in Portugal and have a profound impact on the opportunities and quality of life that exist today.” children will experience this throughout their lives.”

“In Portugal, as in most EU countries, there has been a significant transformation in the profile of the poor population in recent decades,” note the authors of the paper, which was presented Tuesday at the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation.

The document notes that Portugal experienced recessions in 1993, 2003, 2009, 2011-2013 and 2020, which affected unemployment rates, incomes and emigration.

In terms of job insecurity, the 2010s saw a significant increase in the proportion of young people on fixed-term contracts (35% in 2010), reaching more than half of contracts in the pre-pandemic years (2016-2019). ). “If we compare it with young Europeans, we see that in Europe this share is not only much lower (around 20%), but has not increased over the same decade,” the document says.