Sep 21, 2009

Articles in journals

Nunes, F, Bastos, A.

16

20

This paper analyses the extent and persistence of child poverty in Portugal between 1995 and 2001. Data from the Portuguese element of the European Community Household Panel Survey (ECHP) are used to estimate child poverty rates and child poverty flows in and out of poverty. The paper focuses upon an analysis based on family income and on a set of non-monetary indicators. This approach allows comparing changes in child income poverty and deprivation and, therefore, tests the consistency of child poverty under a dynamic perspective. Overall relative child poverty rates in Portugal are one of the highest in the EU. Children are a group particularly vulnerable to poverty and show a significant risk of poverty, compared to the whole population. Children living in households with three or more siblings, children in lone parent families and in households headed by an unemployed person, present a higher risk of income poverty. In terms of deprivation the results obtained are, on average, consistent with the outcomes of the income family based analysis. The study of child poverty undertaken offers a descriptive portrait of child poverty in Portugal, an important input for social policy design.

Child poverty,Cross-sectional poverty,Poverty dynamics,Deprivation,Family income,Portugal