Madrid, Spain, Jun 28, 2010 / 20:12 pm
Responding to a new study from Spain's National Statistics Institute (NSI), the Spanish Federation of Large Families said that the country's decreasing birth rate will soon lead to “an aging populace.” The organization then called on the government to “take family policy seriously” and to prioritize the family, which is “alone capable of energizing the economy” amidst the financial crisis.
The federation, which represents one million families, said the NSI data from 2008 shows the country’s birth rate fell by five percent, “marking the first time in ten years that there has been a drop in the number of births.”
Eva Holgado, president of the federation, said that amidst the current financial crisis, “only the family can energize the economy and keep the economic and social machine active.” The family is what “contributes future workers and taxpayers,” he added.
“The government needs to take this issue seriously and make a strong and courageous commitment to support the family, encourage new births and support those who already have children,” she said.
“There is practically no aid for the family in Spain,” Holgado warned, adding that Spain needs to look to France, which has successfully raised its birthrate to the highest in the European Union without a resulting decrease in the number of women in the workforce. He explained that this “means women don’t have to choose between work and family, but rather they can combine both because they can count on appropriate economic, social and employer support.”