Europe
Europe is now facing a time of transition. With the
supposed arrival of a new and united European community to
greet the new millenium, the economies of these nations are
undergoing massive changes and restructuring. In such a
period, economic instability is possible and may alter the
situation of poverty in the region.
On a whole, poverty within Europe is on the rise. According
to their statistics, over 57 million Europeans lived in nearly
23 million poor households in 1993. From 15% in the late 80’s,
there were about 17% of the European citizenry living below or
near the poverty line. That
rise was even more dramatic in the Netherlands, where the figure
rose from 4.8% (1988) to 13% (1993). In most cases, the type of
household affected the economic situation of a family.
Apparently, single parents with teenage children suffered the
most.
With respect to age, 19% of households across Europe are
senior citizens (above 65 years of age) living all alone. To
make matters worse, the European Anti-Poverty Network stated
that over 13 million European children are poor.
As always, many factors contribute to the existence and rise
of poverty. In Europe, this deadly affliction is no exception.
Among the many factors one must dwell on while analyzing
Europe’s economic status is unemployment. Not only do 12
million remain without jobs in the European community (1990
average), but this strain is taking its toll on 8.4% of the
working population (down from 11% in 1986). With regard to the
young population, 1 out of 6 employed persons is under 25 years
of age.
With respect to working time, European community employees
average a workweek of 40.6 hours, where men generally work
longer than women. Work time also differs from country to
country. For example, in the UK, the longest work week would be
around 43.6 hours compared to Belgium’s 38.1.
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