A steadily falling birth rate
In ten years, the number of births has fallen by 30% in Spain, found a report by the INE (National Statistics Institute) published in spring 2019. Women having an average of 1.27 children in 2022 against 1.44 ten years ago. This translated concretely into 342,000 births in 2020, the lowest figure since 2002. Another finding of this study is that the decline in the number of children per woman is accompanied by a decline in the average age of childbearing. The average age of childbirth is now 31, compared to 29.3 years ago. Perhaps even more surprisingly, the study indicates that nearly 63% of mothers are 40 years old or older. These trends are also found in the Catalan region, according to figures published by the Idescat (Institute of Statistics of Catalonia) in 2021: 1.21 children per woman in 2020 (the lowest figure in twenty years) and the average age of women at the first child even slightly higher than that of Spain (32.4 years in Catalonia against 32.3 in Spain in 2020). For many analysts, this demographic crisis coincides with the economic crisis that Spain has been going through for a good ten years. If the figures have recovered at the macroeconomic level since 2013, the official year of its exit from the crisis, this improvement has not necessarily been verified at the level of the wallet and in the heads the concern persists. When surveyed, half of women of childbearing age would like to have two children, but are not taking the plunge, citing precarious working conditions, inflexible working hours and inadequate childcare assistance. In Spain, 63% of children under three years old do not attend school because of the lack of childcare facilities. By reducing the number of emigrants, the economic crisis has also slowed down the usual contribution of these populations to population growth. Finally, another factor explains this decline in births: the increasingly late departure of young people, who leave home about ten years later than in the Nordic countries. This is also due to economic reasons, such as the time it takes to find a stable job and the rising cost of rent. As this low fertility rate is accompanied by a constantly increasing life expectancy, it is understandable that the increase in the proportion of older people in Spain is becoming increasingly important and worrying, particularly with regard to the financing of pensions. It is calculated that in 2050, the over-65s will represent more than 30% of the population and that the number of over-80s will exceed 4 million. In a report sent to Brussels, the Spanish government estimates that there will be 6 pensioners for every 10 workers in 2050, compared with 3 at present, and estimates the cost of pensions at 300,000 million euros by that date, compared with 140,000 million euros today.
The generation of mileuristas
In Catalonia, young people are increasingly living with their parents, as in the rest of Spain. There has been talk of the generation of mileuristas (people who start their careers with an average monthly salary of €1,000) and whose access to housing is increasingly difficult, especially since prices here have risen faster than in the rest of Spain. This is what gave rise to the #nimileuristas (not even €1,000) movement, which since 2011 has made itself known via the indignados (indignant) rallies, in Barcelona and Valencia, among others. As a logical consequence, young Spaniards are getting married later and later: around 30 years for women and 33 years for men. And some 40-year-olds, as in France, are returning to live with their parents. The average age of women having their first child is around 30. When a woman marries, she keeps her maiden name and adds her husband's name. At birth, the child must bear both the father's and mother's names (the child takes the first name of the father and the first of the mother).
A changing family structure
The post-Franco era had already brought about a great political and cultural revolution by taking women out of the three "Cs" to which they were assigned: kitchen, chiquillos (the little ones) and priest. However, the Spanish family structure has been deeply modified in the last decade, especially through the evolution of the place of women. A few figures help us to understand the current panorama. Marriage continues to decline steadily: - 5.7% in 2018 compared to 2017 (and, exceptionally due to the pandemic, -46% in 2020 compared to 2019). But another profound trend marks this institution, the steady decline in church weddings, surpassed by civil marriages since 2009. The average age of the bride and groom is still rising: over 38 years for men and over 35 years for women. And 50% of children are born outside of marriage. As for divorces, they concern 1 out of 2 marriages (2 out of 3 in Catalonia). Although the presence of women in the labor market has increased in 2021 with an employment rate of 23.73% (compared to 52.01% in 2009 - Source: Statista), Spain remains the second European country in terms of female unemployment (16.7% in 2021) when the European average is 7.4%. They hold the most precarious jobs and it is estimated that even with equal skills, they are paid thirteen euros less on average per hour. And in 2018, only 27% of Spanish companies had a woman in a management position, according to a study by Grant Thornton. Politically, it is worth noting that the 2015 municipal elections brought two women to the helm of Spain's top two cities, Manuela Carmena, in Madrid and Ada Colau in Barcelona, and that Pedro Sánchez's government displayed a strong signal by including more women than men (11 versus 6). Unfortunately, at the same time, Spain has suffered many murders of women: 1,055 since they began to be counted in 2003, according to the latest study published in June 2020 by the Observatory of Domestic Violence. For this reason, Women's Day on March 8, 2018, was marked by unprecedented demonstrations throughout Spain. A day that was intended to be the day of women's rights, but also the occasion of the first feminist strike. This anger manifested itself again in April 2018 after the decision considered lax of the court of Pamplona not retaining the charge of rape, but that of abuse of weakness in the judgment of five Andalusians, after the assault of a young woman during the festivals of Pamplona. To fight against violence against women, Spain had adopted in 2017 a plan of 1 billion euros over 5 years (200 million per year) and despite some delays, 400 million have already been allocated to this area since 2017, even if its use and distribution of funds still lack transparency according to the Spanish Court of Accounts.
In the vanguard for same-sex marriage
Under the slogan "la familia sí importa", "yes, the family matters", and at the call of the Spanish Forum for the Family, about 180,000 people marched in Madrid in June 2005 to protest against the imminent adoption of the law authorizing homosexual marriage. The demonstration was also attended by some 20 bishops and a delegation from the PP, but without its leader Mariano Rajoy or the president of the Spanish Episcopal Conference. This did not prevent the adoption of the law on same-sex marriage in July 2005. "A small change in the text that brings about a huge change in the lives of thousands of our compatriots," said José Luis Zapatero, head of government. Spain became the fourth country in the world to adopt this type of law, after Holland, Belgium and Canada, but the first in terms of the possibility of adopting, also included in the law. A year before, the law had been approved by 66% of Spaniards surveyed by the CIS (Sociological Research Centre), although the possibility of adopting only received a little less than 50% of the votes. The first same-sex marriage between two women was celebrated in Barcelona, and in the first six months after the law was passed, 276 same-sex marriages were registered in Catalonia, which is one every day and represents 21% of all same-sex marriages in Spain, according to the Idescat. Another significant fact is that under the acronym MADO (Madrid Orgullo), the Pride March held in Madrid in July is one of the largest in Europe, regularly welcoming more than one million people (nearly 200,000 in Barcelona).
One of the preferred destinations for Erasmus students
Strong decentralization and the importance of private denominational education are the two main characteristics of the Spanish school system. It is based on three layers: pre-school education, school education and university education. In line with the European Higher Education Area, the Spanish higher education system has been composed of three levels since 2007: bachelor, master and doctorate. As in the rest of Spain, the community is responsible for education, up to the higher education level. The latter is the responsibility of the State. Although it is encouraged and lasts three years, kindergarten is not compulsory. Primary education takes place over six years and secondary education over four years. All of this is finally punctuated by two years of Batxillerat. University education is divided into four years of Grau, one year of master's degree and one year of doctorate. Catalonia has fifteen higher education institutions: twelve universities (seven public and five private, three of which are Catholic). The Statute of Autonomy recognizes the freedom of choice in language matters for teachers and students in higher education. This translates into a variable importance of teaching in Catalan in the different universities. However, in secondary education, teaching is done in Catalan, with three hours per week of Spanish and a second three hours of a foreign language, usually English. From 1999 to 2015, nearly 65,000 students following the Erasmus program had come to Catalonia. Italian students led the way (over 23%), followed almost equally by German (14.67%) and French (14.64%) students. These three nationalities alone represent more than half of the Erasmus students received in Catalonia. At the same time, more than 59,000 Catalan students went to other European universities. If Spain is a country favored by Erasmus students, Barcelona is of course one of the cities that receive the most Erasmus students, as are Madrid, Valencia, Granada and Salamanca. Among the universities favored by foreign students, the Polytechnic University of Catalonia is at the top of the ranking, with a position of number seven among the ten most sought-after destinations.
