Poverty in Germany

{{See also|List of German states by poverty rate}}

File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-S85031, Alt-Berlin, Familie in kriegsbeschädigter Wohnung.jpg in 1949]]

During the postwar period, a number of researchers found that (despite years of rising affluence) many West Germans continued to live in poverty. In 1972, a study by the Sozialpolitisches Entscheidungs- und Indikatorensystem (Social Policy Decision-making and Indicator System, or SPES) estimated that between 1 and 1.5 million people (more than 2% of the population) were living below the state's poverty line. In 1975, a report on poverty published by a CDU politician called Heiner Geissler estimated that 5.8 million people lived below the public assistance levels. As the opening sentence of the report put it,

"Poverty, a theme long since thought dead, is an oppressive reality for millions of people."

The report also estimated that workers' and employees' households constituted more than 40% of poor households, showing low pay to be a major cause of poverty.Poverty and Inequality in Common Market Countries edited by Victor George and Roger Lawson

A study by Frank Klanberg of SPES found that if the poverty line was redefined to include an allowance for housing costs based on officially recommended minimum standards of housing space and the average rent in socially-aided housing, then the proportion of West German households living below the minimum in 1969 would have risen from 1% to 3% and those below 150% of the minimum from 10% to 16%.

According to another study, 2% of households in West Germany lived in severe poverty (defined as 40% of average living standards), over 7% were in moderate poverty (half the average living standards) and 16% lived in “mild” poverty (defined as 60% of average living standards). A study carried out by the EC Poverty Programme derived a figure for 1973 of 6.6%, using a poverty line of 50% of personal disposable income.The Federal Republic of Germany: The End of an era edited by Eva Kolinsky

File:München 2011 Wohnung im Park.jpg]]

Poor people in Germany are less likely to be healthy than well-off individuals. This is evident in statistics highlighting the lifestyle of this demographic, revealing higher rates of smoking, lack of proper hygiene and nutrition, and lower levels of exercise. Consequently, they face an elevated risk of conditions such as lung cancer, hypertension, heart attacks, diabetes, malnutrition, and various other illnesses.J. Winkler, Die Bedeutung der neueren Forschungen zur sozialen Ungleichheit der Gesundheit für die allgemeine Soziologie, in: Helmert u.a.: Müssen Arme früher sterben? Weinheim und München: Juventa Those that are unemployed are more likely to smoke, more likely to be hospitalized, and more likely to die early than the ones that work.Gesundheitsberichterstattung des Bundes - Heft 13: Arbeitslosigkeit und Gesundheit, Februar 2003. The unhealthy habits that have been shown to go hand in hand with poverty also affect the next generation: they experience higher rates of mental illness and are less active. Poorer teens are more likely to commit suicide. In addition, their mothers are 15 times more likely to smoke while pregnant than their more financially stable counterparts.{{Cite news|url=https://www.spiegel.de/lebenundlernen/schule/studie-soziale-risiken-fuer-kinder-und-jugendliche-in-deutschland-a-1238344.html|title=Gesundheit, Bildung, Lebenschancen: Wie Armut unsere Kinder belastet|last=Himmelrath|first=Armin|date=2018-11-14|work=Spiegel Online|access-date=2019-09-20}} Furthermore, poverty has been shown to have a negative impact on marital satisfaction. Poor couples are more likely to argue, while being less supportive for each other and their children.Nietfeld/Becker (1999): Harte Zeiten für Familien. Theoretische Überlegungen und empirische Analysen zu Auswirkungen von Arbeitslosigkeit und sozio-ökonomischer Deprivation auf die Qualität familialer Beziehungen Dresdner Familien, Zeitschrift für Soziologie der Erziehung und Sozialisation 19; pp. 369-387

Poor children face limited educational opportunities. According to an AWO-Study, only 9% of the pupils visiting the Gymnasium are poor.[http://www.awo.org/pub/aktuell/presse/2005/pd-2005-12-01 AWO/ISS-Studie zur Kinderarmut in Deutschland] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080620030601/http://www.awo.org/pub/aktuell/presse/2005/pd-2005-12-01 |date=2008-06-20 }} Poor children are likely to experience adversities beyond money. They are more likely to be raised by a teenage-parent. They are more likely to have multiple young siblings, are more likely to be raised in crime-ridden neighbourhoods and more likely to live in substandard apartments which are often overcrowded. Their parents are likely to be less educated and they are more likely to have emotional problems.Hans Weiß (Hrsg.): Frühförderung mit Kindern und Familien in Armutslagen. München/Basel: Ernst Reinhardt Verlag. {{ISBN|3-497-01539-3}}

Children growing up poor are more likely to get involved in accidents than their non-poor peers.Trabert, Gerhard: Kinderarmut: Zwei-Klassen-Gesundheit in Deutsches Ärzteblatt 2002; 99: A 93–95, Ausgabe 3 They are less likely to follow a healthy diet.Richter, Antje: Armutsprävention – ein Auftrag für Gesundheitsförderung 2005, p. 205. In: Margherita Zander: Kinderarmut. VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften, Wiesbaden, {{ISBN|3-531-14450-2}} They are less likely to be healthy. In poor neighborhoods many children suffer from speech impairments and stunted motoric development.[https://www.unicef.de/informieren/aktuelles/presse/-/report-card-18-kinderarmut/344084 UNICEF Deutschland: „Ausgeschlossen“ – Kinderarmut in Deutschland] They tend to have lower IQs.Roland Merten (2002): Psychosoziale Folgen von Armut im Kindes- und Jugendalter. In Christoph Butterwegge, Michael Klundt (Hrsg.): Kinderarmut und Generationengerechtigkeit. Opladen: Leske und Budrich, {{ISBN|3-8100-3082-1}}, p. 149

Poor children are more likely to get involved in criminal activities such as forming gangs, committing murder, and they are also more likely to abuse drugs and alcohol.Christian Palentien (2004): Kinder- und Jugendarmut in Deutschland. Wiesbaden. VS – Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften, {{ISBN|3-531-14385-9}}; pp. 218, 219[https://www.helpster.de/news/ref-04efac262d26508532519b312900ce33.html Kinder- und Jugendärzte: Kinderarmut bekämpfen (28.09.2007)] retrieved 25.05.2008

Working-class families from ethnic minorities with multiple children are the group most likely to be poor.Olaf Groh-Samberg: Armut verfestigt sich Wochenbericht der DIW Nr. 12/2007, 74. Jahrgang/21. März 2007 Families headed by a single parent are also more likely to experience economic hardship than others. While only 0.9% of childless couples and 2.0% of married couples received welfare in 2002, 26.1% of single mothers did.[http://www.boeckler-boxen.de/1559.htm Alleinerziehende Frauen kämpfen mit der Armut] retrieved 25.05.2008 In 2008, 43% of families headed by a single woman had to rely on welfare as the main source of household income.{{in lang|de}} Focus, 1 December 2008, "Alleinerziehende: 43 Prozent bekommen Hartz IV" A change in welfare laws, which made it impossible to receive unemployment benefits if one had not worked for a long time, was accountable for that increase. Poverty rates are high among people that did not graduate from school and did not learn a trade; 42% of poor people did not learn a trade.[http://www.ejh.de/uploads/tx_templavoila/sozialgipfel-kl.pdf Armut heisst es gibt nichts mehr] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718233644/http://www.ejh.de/uploads/tx_templavoila/sozialgipfel-kl.pdf |date=2011-07-18 }} retrieved 25 May 2008

• Social issues in Germany
• Crime in Germany
• Smoking in Germany
• Immigration to Germany
• Poverty by country

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