He basic or minimum cost of poverty to cover the basic needs of a boy or girl up to 12 years old has increased in the last two months (December and January) more than 52%. But the total cost of parenting, which includes the minimum wage of a child care worker, increased by less than half (27%) because In January the salary of these staff remained the same in the same values as December.
According to the ages, the total cost was identified between $208,459 and $266,263, according to INDEC data. In November it was between $174,200 and $209,001.
In Argentina there are more of them 9 million children under 12 years old with levels of poverty above 60%.
The parenting basket includes both the monthly cost of purchasing goods and services for the development of newborns, girls, boys and adolescents, according to the value of the poverty line, which means that it is a basic cost. Added to this is the cost of care which arises from the evaluation of the time necessary for said activity, which is also basic.
The hours of assistance are valued by taking the salary from the “Assistance and care of people” category of the Special Employment Contract Scheme for Private Homes Staff.
From this it follows that the cost was not because it was higher The government did not convene the commission for work on private homes and in January these wages remained at the same value as in December.
This cost takes into account whether care is provided by a hired person and what it would theoretically entail if care for these children was provided by an unpaid family member.
How much does it cost to raise a child, depending on age
Depending on the age groups the costs are as follows:
- less than 1 year $208,489
- From 1 to 3 years $248,303
- From 4 to 5 years $211,807
- from 6 to 12 years $266,263.
From the age of 4, the cost of care activities decreases due to the reduction in theoretical weight due in part, for example, to schooling.
Caring for children under one year old takes 147 hours. Between 1 and 3 years it amounts to 168 hours per month. It drops to 105 hours between 4 and 5 years. And 48 hours up to between 6 and 12 years. And the hourly cost is $958 up to 5 years and $1,528 per hour between 6 and 12 years.
The Report covers up to 12 years because “although the needs and care tasks of subsequent ages are maintained, in the estimate of the theoretical care time they are excluded from the calculation since a decrease in weight is recognized in terms of hours dedicated to the care of adolescents from this age onwards.”
In the case of a household with more than one dependent child under 12 years of age, the care time required by the member of the household with the greatest time needs should be considered, the paper states.
The INDEC clarifies that “to evaluate the cost of goods and services for the development of infants, girls, boys and adolescents in each of the four age groups, based on available information and sources, the value of the total basic basket ( CBT) of Greater Buenos Aires (GBA) released every month by the INDEC for the measurement of poverty and multiplied by an equivalent adult coefficient (CAE) corresponding to each section”.
From this it follows that it is a cost linked to the poverty basket. And for care tasks, the minimum wage value which corresponds to that of “Assistance and care of people” which includes non-therapeutic assistance and care of people such as sick people, people with disabilities, children and adolescents, and the elderly.
INDEC calculations are based on the fact that they exist more than 1.6 million women are responsible for families with children and without the presence of the spouse (single parents).
This represents 11.7% of all households. Furthermore, it is estimated that more than 3 million children live in these homes (approximately 2 children per home). And among household heads, 26.1% had an income below the total basic food basket, while 4.6% had an income below the basic food basket.
Source: Clarin
