Being a parent in Italy today is an increasingly difficult choice to sustain, not only emotionally and socially, but especially economically. In a framework marked by job insecurity, rising cost of living and structural deficiencies in family policies, raising a child risks becoming a privilege for the few. It is against this backdrop that I was struck by an article by researcher Enzo Risso, published in Il Domani, entitled: “Other than a single allowance, a child costs (on average) up to 500 euros a month.”
The analysis is based on a recent survey by Centro Studi Legacoop’s Fragilitalia Observatory, in collaboration with Ipsos, conducted in April 2025 among a sample of 800 adults. Risso’s findings show that “for 21 percent of families, expenses for children absorb between 40 and 70 percent of the monthly budget.” The largest items are “clothing (58 percent), sports activities (45 percent), school texts (43 percent), school supplies and recreation (40 percent), medical expenses and school fees (38 percent).” In the face of these costs, the Single and Universal Allowance proves inadequate: “between a minimum of 57.50 euros and a maximum of 201 euros per month for each child.”
Italian families invest heavily in raising children: “38 percent of households spend between 301 and 500 euros per month per child, 13 percent between 501 and 700 euros, and 9 percent between 700 and 1700 euros.” A disparity that reflects an Italy deeply marked by inequality: “families with the highest expenses belong to the upper-middle class, with educated parents and residing in the North.”
The research also highlights the motivations behind increased spending: “79 percent of families identify inflation and rising prices as the main cause, followed by the desire to provide educational experiences (62 percent) and the cost of education (61 percent).” In addition, 55 percent of parents acknowledge that social pressure to “give the best” significantly affects educational choices. These data clearly show how raising a child has also become a status issue.
Yet, another article by Risso, also in The Tomorrow, gives us a different cue: “62 percent of 18-34 year olds say they want at least one or two children.” But at the same time, “25 percent say they do not want any at all,” an increase of 9 percent in the past two years.
This is not a rejection of family values, but the direct consequence of a hostile system. Job insecurity, the absence of structured policies, and a production system that penalizes care time make parenting a risk rather than a free choice. The problem is not one of values, but structural: it is the very architecture of opportunities that is fragile and selective. Declining birth rates can no longer be narrated in the media as an individual responsibility: rather, it is a clear symptom of a social model that does not support those who wish to build tomorrow.
In the face of these critical issues, parenting cannot be an opportunity reserved for the few. It must be recognized as an essential component of collective life, to be protected and made truly accessible. Supporting those who choose to become mothers or fathers means restoring confidence in the present and restoring perspective to the future.
A structural welfare reform is needed: universal access to daycare centers, quality public schools, efficient health care, widespread and capillary childcare services. But a cultural revolution is also needed: putting care, sharing, and collective responsibility back at the center, against the dominant individualist model.
Parenthood should no longer be an obstacle course or an indicator of social privilege. It must once again become a viable, sustainable and free choice. How we choose to support families today will say a lot about what kind of society we want to become. Every birth, every family that endures hardship, is a gesture of confidence in the time to come.
The article Between social inequalities and cultural challenges: the (unsustainable) cost of children comes from TheNewyorker.
