1 Los cambios en la familia española
La evolución de las familias españolas
The traditional family typically consists of a heterosexual relationship, with the man being
the protector and provider of the household and the woman cleaning and taking care of the
home and the children. This idea follows the teachings of the Catholic Church owing to its
prevalence in Spain.
Since 1931, many Spaniards have wished for a separation between church and state; the
1931 Constitution declared Spain “un estado no confesional” and contemplated the
introduction of civil marriages, divorce, and equal rights for women. However, the
Republican government was replaced by the dictator Franco in 1939, and the 1939
Constitution was overturned to be replaced once more with traditional Catholic values.
When the dictatorship ceased in 1975, the Spanish slowly recovered their right to live freely
and women gained the rights that they had lost.
Nowadays, the church neither accepts homosexual marriages, “las parejas de hecho”
(partners who live together without marrying) nor abortion. Contraception is only allowed
in exceptional cases and divorce, while possible, is long and difficult. However, only 57%
of Spanish are Catholic compared to 88% in 1980, and 37% are atheist compared to 9.5%
in 1980. This leads to birthrate and marriage rate declining, while monoparental,
homosexual, unmarried, divorced, or childless families have increased. Nuclear families
are still the most common type of family at 6.2 million, after which single occupancy is
second with 4.8 million, with the third most common type being childless families with 3.9
million.
El declive de la tasa de natalidad y fecundidad y sus implicaciones
Spain’s birthrate has fallen to only 1.18, the second lowest in Europe, with only 8.2 million
people younger than 18 but 9.4 million people older than 65. This means that there is more
pressure on services for the elderly and less need for nurseries, schools etc. The age of
retirement has increased to 66 years, from 65 in 2013.
Instead of having children, women are working instead with 53% of women active in the
labor market; to have more children, they require more financial support, more maternity
(currently only 16 weeks), and flexible work hours. Nowadays, the average Spaniard leaves
home at 30 and house prices only continue to rise.
La evolución de las familias españolas y sus implicaciones
