Social inequality on the increase in Germany and Europe

At the beginning of December, the European study titled “Life in Europe” established increasing levels of social polarisation in Germany. According to the study, 13 percent of all Germans, or nearly one eighth of the population, live in poverty. Over 10 million people must survive on a monthly income of less than €856. Especially affected are young people, children, workers over 50 and pensioners, as well as single parents and east Germans. One third of all single-parent families live in poverty, while in eastern Germany one fifth of those between 16 and 24 and those between 50 and 64 are assessed to be poor.

The report details a number of limitations imposed on the everyday life of the poor. Their dwellings are more frequently damp (22 percent as opposed to the average of 14 percent for the rest of the population), 14 percent must save on heating costs, and a quarter of the poor are forced to limit what they eat. Unexpected problems—e.g., a defective washing machine—pose insurmountable difficulties for the poor.

More
http://wsws.org/articles/2007/jan2007/euro-j04.shtml