All over Europe, large families have one problem: high living costs
Babies' gathering in the Eindhoven football stadium in the Netherlands, for a photoshoot. Photo ANP, Bert Jansen
European Union
How to sell this seven-seat mini-bus? An advert on the website of the Swiss large families’ club seemed a good idea. And yes, more than fifty people responded within the hour. Just showing that transportation is a crucial thing for large families in Switzerland.
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Life is expensive. Most say that today. However, large families especially know that this is true. In most European countries, organisations are trying to buck this trend.
"A large family is a resource for society. We want to let people know that they are a value, not a burden"
EU households are increasingly embracing child-free living or a one-and-done family size. Although the consequences of these issues vary by EU state, families must now learn how to navigate skyrocketing transportation and housing costs.
Despite universal efforts by many EU institutions to reduce household numbers, the European Large Families Confederation (ELFAC) wants to see larger families in Europe's future.
"A large family is a resource for society. We want to let people know that they are a value, not a burden," Regina Maroncelli says, who is vice president of ELFAC.
Founded in 2004, the organisation currently represents 9 million families. One-quarter of all children live in those families on the continent. They also work with at least one national organisation in at least 22 EU countries.
A family is large when it has at least three children, according to the definition on ELFAC's website. Maroncelli believes that having a large family is a definite plus. Although multiple-child households have always existed, supporting these families was often missing, she explains.
Taxation problems
Yet many EU governments do not see the value of having multiple children, and these families are continually viewed as a burden. Maroncelli explains that in many EU countries, households with several children cannot benefit from substantial tax deductions.
In Italy, where Maroncelli is originally from, she explains that the country's taxation point system (known as ISE) only allows you to report up to a certain number of children.
She notes that the "universal check” (assegno unico) varies according the number of children. Benefits and deductions are given based on a family’s overall wealth and are calculated every year with a specific tool called ISEE. Despite its complexity, says Maroncelli, ISEE does not help large families.
Italy’s national organisation Associazione Nazionale Famiglie Numerose (ANFN), member of ELFAC, has asked the Italian government to change the exisiting system.
Housing challenges
As in Switzerland, finding an affordable place to rent or buy is one of the biggest challenges for large families, according to Käthi Kaufmann-Eggler. She is the president of IG Familie 3plus, an organisation that supports large families with three or more children. Finding a house or a flat with four or more bedrooms is often financially impossible for many.
Most families rent in Switzerland instead of buying. Current housing prices have made buying a home unaffordable for many, let alone large families, Kaufmann-Eggler says. She personally knows a family that wanted to find a bigger house to rent due to expecting their seventh child. The house they currently rent has 4.5 bedrooms, and they are paying almost 3,000 Swiss Francs per month (3,116 Euros) for their current accommodation.
"Buying a large house with less than a million Swiss Francs (over 1 million Euros) is difficult. If you find a house for less than that, you're lucky."
Public transport
Many large families also rely on public transportation such as trains and buses. Finding a place close to these networks can also be problematic, she explains. Most houses there are very expensive, and cheaper accommodation can only be found in rural areas, which are harder to access by public transport. Switzerland currently offers public transportation discounts when using its large family card.
Adding to the challenge of adequate public transport, finding a car can also be difficult if large families live on the city's outskirts. Kaufmann-Eggler recalls a story when the organisation published an advert for selling a seven-seat van. Over fifty people in their group responded within the first hour. She explains that vans are in high demand among large families because, unfortunately, they are not so common and can come with a high price tag.
Needing reformation
Similar to Switzerland, affordable housing remains a challenge in Germany. Additionally, parental allowance is in dire need of a reformation, according to Laura Schlichting, who is the press director for the large family organisation, Verband kinderreicher Familien Deutschland. For example, the current amount of parental leave is 300 Euros for one child and has remained unchanged since 2007. According to an I am Expat report, households with two or more children can receive a monthly bonus of 10 per cent or 75 Euros extra. Yet, it can still not be enough to cover the country's high cost of living.
In a written response to CNE, she says the parental allowance scheme also fails to consider those with three or more children. This factor only sets families up for poverty and inadequate financial support. For child benefits, families receive up to 255 Euros for each child, but the current system has limitations when it comes to multiple children, such as those with three or more.
"Raising one child versus four comes with vastly different financial burdens. The previous system accounted for this, but it was removed without any inflation adjustment for third and subsequent children. Instead, benefits for the first and second children were raised to match those of the third. This was a blow to large families, as their additional (inflationary) costs were ignored."
The faith correlation
Given the challenges of raising a large family, is there a correlation between religiosity and large families? Yes, it seems. ELFAC is officially religiously neutral. But Maroncelli knows that several families in their organisation are practising Catholics. In addition to the national organisations, many EU states, such as Italy, have their own Christian-oriented organisations for large families.
Although there are no Christian-oriented organisations in Switzerland, Kaufmann-Eggler says, over 90 per cent of families in their association consider themselves Protestant or Catholic. "I think it's really a good thing."
Conference
While ELFAC provides resources and support throughout the year, the organisation also promotes the European Network of Family-Friendly Municipalities. Its annual conference is focused on better living practices and advocating for big families. This year, they are focusing on the environment and how to navigate the current trend of living sustainably regardless of household size.
The conference will be held from March 20 to 21 and will be hosted by the city of Krakow, Poland. It will also cover several topics, including how large families can benefit from green spaces and optimise waste sharing.
Maroncelli says that Krakow, Poland, was chosen because the city has increased its green spaces, which has provided a win-win for parents and their children. "In times of demographic crisis, it brings a city to life when you have families and children."
Value for society
Despite many seeing large families as an environmental challenge, Maroncelli says this notion is untrue. She says these families can optimise their output and benefit from shared resources. On the contrary, Maroncelli believes divorce and breakups pose more of an environmental cost, as these arrangements force people to live in separate homes.
Kaufmann-Eggler believes more needs to be done in encouraging Mums to stay at home (especially the first few years) when it comes to raising a family. When she stayed home to raise her children, she says, many viewed her as living a luxurious lifestyle. Yet, she defends that mothers save more money at home than at work, as most of that income is spent on daycare.
She explains that when there are three or more children, daycare costs can add up significantly, and you are not saving money in the long run. "It's better to renounce and to do something of a big value for society," she says in the context of mothers who may feel pressured to work outside the home.
Demography
Schlichting from Germany believes the country needs large families to combat loneliness and its ongoing demographic problem. Current fertility rates are averaging around 1.31 children per woman, she says.
"Large families play a key role in shaping a stable society. But they need better support – financially, socially, and in work-life balance. If policies improve external conditions, more families may feel encouraged to have (more) children."
Echoing Schlichting's views, Maroncelli says more needs to be done in advocacy to secure a sustainable future for large families. It is also necessary to make people understand that having a large family is not only for those in poverty, the very rich, or for the religious.
What is most important, she explains, is that every child should be welcomed and every family should be able to welcome them.
"Children should have a family to support and love them. This is what makes a community," she says.
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