Unemployment of parents — one of the poverty causes in families with children

Abstract

Families with children in Russia are at high risk of poverty. The economic consequences of the coronavirus pandemic and the sanctions imposed in spring 2022 make social policy a priority. It is necessary to pay a stronger attention to groups of population at higher risk of poverty. In recent years the support for families with children has been strengthened and the circle of potential recipients of assistance expanded (raising the age of children, lifting restrictions on the type of family). Additional support measures provided to families with children to reduce the negative effects of the crisis helped to alleviate the severity of poverty but did not change the position of families with children on the welfare scale, they are still the largest group of the poor (according to Rosstat they make 80% of all poor households). It seems important to identify the main factors of poverty of families with children, which include, not least, the limited employment of parents. The main purpose of the study is to show, using the data of the statistical survey (HBS-2019), the scale of unemployment and its impact on families with children as well as gender characteristics of the phenomenon of unemployment. Financial assistance to families with children should be combined with work to activate the actions of families for self-sufficiency.