Economic Crisis and Family Education: the Children’s Perspective

Author(s):

Maria Manuel Vieira(presenting / submitting)

Conference:

ECER 2015

Network:

14. Communities, Families and Schooling in Educational Research

Format:

Paper

Session Information

14 SES 13 B, Family Education, Parenting and School-Family-Community Links IV

Paper Session

Time:

2015-09-11

11:00-12:30

Room:

109.Oktatóterem [C]

Chair:

Aitor Gomez

Contribution

Following a similar trend observed in other European countries since the end of 2008, Portugal experienced an economic set-back, which expanded into a recession. The harsh austerity policies, namely the externally imposed program of public finances consolidation the country has undergone, brought significant rises in unemployment and poverty – with considerable impact on Portuguese households. The risk of poverty rate is higher in families with children; and children become particularly vulnerable, since their living condition, marked by dependence on family members, have been deteriorating: in 2012, 24,4% of Portuguese children lived in households with per capita incomes below 408 euros / month (EU-SILC 2013).

This situation has contributed to family change and to the assessment of its former priorities. These changes are not without impact on family education and intergenerational relationships. Some questions may therefore arise, concerning parenting practices as well as on the relations of families with educational institutions. Considering the increasing difficulties shared by Portuguese households and the greater vulnerability of their living conditions, what are the impacts of these difficulties on the well-being of family members and of the family as a whole? Do they affect parenting practices? If so, in what extent? Furthermore, are parents’ educational plans for their children (e.g. long schooling trajectories, tertiary education) put at risk by the present crisis? What strategies do families employ to cope with the difficulties caused by the economic recession, in what concerns their children’s education?

Our presentation intends to address the above questions, by using some of the main findings of a recently completed research “Impacts of the crisis on Portuguese children” funded by UNICEF Portugal (Wall, K et.al, 2015). The relatively invisibility of children's everyday lives, which is impacted by different dimensions of the current economic crisis in Portugal, inspired the decision of giving voice to children. Therefore, it will be through the children’s perspective that we will assess the impact of the crisis on family education.

Method

The study involved a qualitative research. Using an in-depth and individual approach, we tried to give voice to children reconstituting, from narratives collected in individual interviews, their representations and experiences: on how they see the current crisis and feel their impact on their families and their everyday-life. Altogether, 77 interviews were conducted with children and adolescents between March and May 2013. A diversified and balanced sample included children from 8-17 age groups, of both sexes, living in urban, suburban and rural areas of the north, centre and south of the country, coming from different family backgrounds, living in different types of households and with varying degrees of vulnerability. Children's participation entailed the necessary informed consent (of themselves, their parents or legal guardians), and the anonymity of the information they shared was secured through the use of fictitious names. The interview script explored a diverse range of thematic information. A group of them related to parenting practices, education expenses, school routines and activities, learning activities outside the school, homework and future personal plans. The transcribed interviews were then analysed following a categorial thematic analysis, by using MaxQda content analysis research tool.

Expected Outcomes

This study aims to produce knowledge about childhood in Portugal, and to understand the way children see and live the present crisis, as well as the way it affects the dynamics of family organization and family education. The main results of the study indicate that: - Children are sensitive to the disturbing significance of the crisis, its impact on the country and on the people and families who they know in particular. - According to the children, it is the adults who feel the brunt of the crisis. They claim that the adults are suffering from rising unemployment, lack of income, the pressure to work long hours, the struggle to be able to give their children everything they need. They describe how the negativity is invading the personal well-being of adults and the family as a whole. - The study also shows that children are aware that the crisis is undermining their future as a generation, by anticipating the negative consequences it may have for their life projects in the areas of training, employment and family life. - Intergenerational relationships, that mobilize grandparents, emerge as a central element in the life of the Portuguese children surveyed, either from the point of view of living and emotional support, and from the point of view of care (take and bring home, lunch), and regular supply of goods.

References

European Union Labour Force Survey (Eurostat). Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (SILC) Available in: epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/portal/page/portal/eurostat/home/ Wall, K., Almeida, A.N., Vieira, M.M., Cunha, V. (orgs.) (2015, forthcoming) Impactos da crise nas crianças portuguesas: indicadores, políticas, representações. Lisboa: ICS. Imprensa de Ciências Sociais.

Author Information

Maria Manuel Vieira (presenting / submitting)

University of Lisbon

Social Sciences Institute

Lisbon

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