Study shows 'stark differences' between poor and non-poor

The training being offered to the unemployed by the Employment and Training Corporation was "not helpful" and needed "re-thinking", according to employment advisors.

The advisors say only five per cent managed to find a job related to the training offered by the ETC.

The information emerged from a new report on Family Poverty And Social Exclusion, presented yesterday by the National Commission for the Family in the presence of Family Minister Dolores Cristina.

The report, conducted by Angela Abela and Fr Charles Tabone, involved quantitative and qualitative methodology in an attempt to get a clear picture on the situation of poverty and social exclusion in Malta.

A sample of 360 female heads of households living below the poverty line were chosen and compared with a control group of 100 others living above the poverty line. A series of interviews were conducted with 13 mothers, 15 employment advisors and teachers of children from the families used in the study.

Malta reflected the EU situation: 14.9 per cent of the Maltese population (and 20.6 per cent of children) were at risk of poverty as opposed to the EU's 15 per cent (21 per cent of children).

"Being on a par with the EU is not something which should hearten us. The study indicates how we can prevent poverty. Some measures can be introduced without a lot of financial expenditure by making optimum use of existing services," Fr Tabone said.

Before delving into the actual results of the survey, Fr Tabone insisted that the most important factor was to see the stark differences which emerged between the poor and the non-poor. "We are using the term non-poor because being above the poverty line does not necessarily mean being comfortable or rich," he added. Long-term health problems were significantly more frequent among the poor, with 28.1 per cent as opposed to 22.3 per cent; as was illiteracy - 11 per cent of the adult poor were illiterate compared with 5.2 per cent among non-poor.

Unemployment was also significantly higher among the poor with 40.7 per cent as opposed to 4.1 per cent.

Also, 34.3 per cent of the poor had been unemployed for more than four years; 10 per cent between two and four years; 15.7 per cent between 12 and 17 months and 10 per cent for less than one month. About 40 per cent are long-term unemployed.

Marital disagreements were also more frequent in poor households with 17.7 per cent quarrelling about financial problems, as opposed to 4.5 per cent of non-poor.

Integration in social life was also difficult for the poor, as was educational achievement. Despite the fact that both types of households supported their children's schooling with private tuition, nine per cent of those below the poverty line still repeated class at least once.

When it came to choice of school 79.3 per cent of poor children attended state schools; 16.7 per cent attended Church schools and 4.1 of poor children attend private schools.

Poor children also suffered greater emotional problems - 12.2 per cent as opposed to 9.6 per cent - but just 40.7 per cent of poor children received treatment as opposed to 62.5 of non-poor.

Speaking about the one-to-one interviews, Dr Abela said that poverty was often camouflaged behind nicely kept houses, with single parents living in poorer dwellings.

Giving a snapshot of the situation, Dr Abela said the families confided that unemployment benefits were not enough to make ends meet and they budgeted very carefully.

The poor also felt stigmatised by their situation and preferred to conceal it than to ask for help, he said. Many received help from their extended family.

Commenting on the results, Ms Cristina said the statistics would be crucial to help the government draw up new policies to address these realities. Her dream, she said, was to eventually set up a national plan for the family and she encouraged the commission to take the step towards attaining this goal.

A snapshot of poverty

The following are some quotes taken from the one-to-one interviews with the poor families for the qualitative part of the survey:

¤ "We cannot afford a weekend break of Lm50 once a year. I try to take part in radio competitions in the hope of winning a weekend break."

¤ "One kilo of apples that costs 50c is too expensive for our budget."

¤ "Sometimes I have to borrow money from my mother to buy food."

¤ "The minute I get a cheque I buy what we need to live for a whole month. I prepare a lot of sauces, which I freeze, so if we end up with no money, I would have something to feed my child."

¤ "It breaks my heart to tell my children to wait until we get the wage to buy something."

¤ "It is a very bad situation. I feel it most when my son asks for something. But even when I see people dressed up to go out, even for a simple coffee morning, deep down it hurts."