No progress for economically burdened families: Children in poverty are mentally strained
Despite lower inflation and general economic progress in Denmark, children in financially struggling families are going without meals, necessary clothing, and social activities. The children are mentally overworked and isolate themselves socially, according to studies in a new publication from the Egmont Foundation.
76% of financially struggling families, the children have had to miss out on at least three social activities in the past three months, such as having a friend over for dinner or a sleepover, joining a school trip, or having a birthday party for classmates. In 60% of these families, there has not been enough money to provide the children with necessary clothing or footwear, and in 17% of the families, the children have had to go without meals.
This is shown in a new study among 3,600 families with children, conducted by Rambøll in collaboration with Danish People’s Aid (Dansk Folkehjælp) for Egmont Insight, a new publication by the Egmont Foundation. The survey also reveals that within the past three months, one in five families could not afford to buy prescribed medicine when a child needed it.
The strained finances lead to mental overload for the children, where they feel compelled to lie as a means to keep up appearances socially and deprioritize their own needs to prevent pressuring their parents even more. This is revealed in a qualitative study conducted for Egmont Insight by the Social Development Centre (SUS) in cooperation Danish People’s Aid.
"It's somewhat paradoxical that we, as one of the world's richest countries, have not succeeded in removing the burden of deprivation and negative consequences for schooling and community that children in poverty live with. The children cannot themselves change the family's finances. Therefore, we should protect the children living in poverty, lift this burden from their shoulders and give them the same opportunities to live a normal everyday life as their peers. Many of us - including foundations, the state, municipalities, civil society, and the private sector - can contribute to this," says Heidi Sørensen, Director of the Egmont Grant Administration.
The children hide their deprivation
In 95% of the financially struggling families in the Rambøll study, parents report that their financial situation has either remained unchanged or worsened compared to a year ago. At the same time, 21 children in the study from SUS report that they use a range of strategies to conceal from others that their family does not have a lot of money. They isolate themselves socially as they cannot afford to participate. They refrain from telling their parents about their own needs to avoid further straining the finances, and they try to help the family's economy, for example, by getting a part-time job.
" We acknowledge that material things have significance in a modern life. It is important for a child's self-esteem and well-being to have the same opportunities as others. To have pocket money for an ice cream on a school trip. To have friends over for dinner. To be able to contribute with a gift for a classmate's birthday. The studies document what we experience in Danish People's Aid: Children in the most economically disadvantaged families in Denmark cannot afford ordinary, everyday activities that the rest of us take for granted. Therefore, they withdraw from the communities that are crucial for well-being and learning," says Mirka Mozer, Secretary-General of Danish People’s Aid.
In Egmont Insight, 16-year-old Frida says, "If they want to go to a café after school, I say I'm not hungry. If they want to go out to eat one evening, I say I have something else to do. And if we've agreed to go to Strøget (a shopping street in Copenhagen), I cancel at the last minute and say that I'm sick."
In the study, the children urge "those in charge" to ensure that all children and young people, regardless of their parents' finances, can participate in school-related activities, that they get the opportunity for experiences that create good memories, and that the pressure to give gifts at birthdays is reduced.
For more information
Tine Pind Jørum, Head of Communications and Press at Egmont’s Grant Administration, 27116896; tj@egmont.com
Anne Mette Futtrup, Communications and Press Officer at Danish People’s Aid, 61150096; amf@folkehjaelp.dk
FACTS
About Egmont and Egmont Insight
Egmont is an enterprise foundation with a dual purpose: To conduct media business and support children and young people at risk in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden to complete a youth education and create a good life.
Egmont supports children and families in poverty through the program A Helping Hand, which in the period 2022-2025 will distribute around 80 million DKK for Christmas aid, summer holidays, school equipment, leisure activities, and much more.
Egmont Insight is a new publication from Egmont that focuses on several challenges experienced by children and young people at risk and contributes to discussions on how to solve them.
About Danish People’s Aid
Danish People’s Aid works for and with people in socially, economically, and health-wise vulnerable positions, nationally as well as internationally.
Danish People’s Aid was established in 1907 and has since fought for equal rights and equal opportunities for all.