Evolving Family Models in Spain
A New National Framework for Improved Support and Protection for Families
Spanish society values families and family life highly, but the way that families look and live has been changing drastically over the past decades. From being one of the countries with the highest fertility rates in Europe, Spain now has the lowest rate in the region and the legalisation of divorce and social acceptance of co-habitation has led to a decline in the traditional nuclear family model. At the same time, the share of mothers who are employed increased by more than 50% over the past two decades, though it remains below the OECD average. While family law has evolved quite strongly alongside these societal changes, family policy – i.e. the combination of benefits, services, tax breaks and leave arrangements that support family members in raising and providing care to minor children and other dependent persons – has undergone some changes but few major reforms. This report suggests ways to adapt Spain’s family policy to incorporate family diversity into the national policy framework, improve family well-being, reduce child poverty and make family life easier for all.
Incorporating the diversity of families into policy
This chapter analyses how policies across OECD countries have responded to the changing nature of families and family life in the last decades. Today, young people increasingly chose to postpone marriage and parenthood until they are established in the labour market. Family living arrangements are also increasingly diverse due to more frequent divorces and separations, with many more children now living in single‑parent families, with unmarried cohabiting parents, or in “re‑constituted” families. This growing family complexity and diversity increases uncertainty about family relationships, weakens the private safety net provided by families for their members, and generates differences in rights to benefits and social protection depending on marriage status or family composition. This situation can cause substantial variation in children’s living standards, which can be further exacerbated within certain socio‑economic and demographic groups.
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