© UNICEF/A. Etge Economic inequality in rich countries is associated with poorer physical health and lower academic outcomes among children. Economic inequality undermines children’s well-being in the world’s richest countries Economic development
Economic inequality in rich countries is negatively impacting children’s health and school performance, according to a new UNICEF study. The findings are based on an analysis of the situation in 44 high-income countries.
On average across these countries, the income of the richest 20 percent of households is more than five times that of the bottom 20 percent. At the same time, almost every fifth child lives in poverty.
“Economic inequality directly affects how children learn, what they eat, and how they perceive their lives. To limit the worst impacts of inequality, there is an urgent need to increase investment in the health, nutrition and education of children in the most disadvantaged communities,” said UNICEF Innocenti Research Director Bo Victor Nylund.
60~strong>Health Impact children
According to the report, there is indeed a direct link between high levels of economic inequality and children’s health. For example, children growing up in countries with the highest levels of inequality are 1.7 times more likely to be overweight than their peers in countries with lower levels of inequality. This may be due to poor quality nutrition and skipping meals.
This trend is confirmed by the countries of the European Union – in this region, only 58 percent of children from families with the lowest incomes have good health indicators, while among children from the most affluent families this figure is 73 percent.
Impact on levels education
The report also makes a connection between economic inequality and educational attainment. It notes that in countries with deeper gaps between rich and poor, children tend to score lower on tests. It also notes that in countries with the highest rates of stratification, the likelihood of a child graduating from school without basic reading and math skills is 65 percent, while in countries with lower levels of inequality it is only 40.
Similar differences are observed within countries themselves. On average, 83 percent of 15-year-olds from the wealthiest families have basic reading and math skills, but only 42 percent of their peers from the lowest income families have basic reading and math skills. measures to reduce the impact of inequality on children’s well-being, primarily through reducing child poverty. The study authors highlight the need to strengthen social support systems, including family and child benefits and raising the minimum wage, to ensure that no child grows up in poverty.
The report also highlights the importance of supporting people in disadvantaged areas, particularly through infrastructure development, increasing access to subsidized housing and investing in public spaces such as green spaces and places for leisure.
Special attention is paid to the field of education. The authors call for reducing socio-economic stratification in schools, providing educational institutions with the necessary resources regardless of the income level of students’ families, and providing children with healthy and nutritious school meals.