Amaya AzconaThe relationship between Red Madre, Caritas and parishes is intense".The Spanish public administrations' aid to maternity amounted to 63.2 million euros last year (2023), which meant 149.42 euros of average aid per pregnant woman, according to the 8th report Mapa de la Maternidad en España presented today by the Foundation RedMadre.
The aid corresponds to the support of Spanish public administrations (Autonomous Communities, provincial councils and provincial capital city councils) for maternity, paying special attention to support for mothers in difficult situations due to pregnancy.
Of the total amount of 63.2 million, the Community of Madrid allocated 60.4 million in its maternity support plan, which represents 95.5 percent. "Discounting this amount, which makes the figures skyrocket, the reality in Spain is that the Autonomous Communities only invested 2.7 million euros in support for mothers, that is, 6.50 euros of average aid per woman to deal with the difficulties that may arise due to pregnancy," points out the Map presented by RedMadre.
The number triples thanks to the Madrid plan
In the 7th report Mapa de la Maternidad en 2022, the volume of maternity aid stood at 20 million euros, tripling the total amount to 63.2 million. However, RedMadre notes that this increase is due in particular to the maternity support plan implemented by the Community of Madrid, which allocated more than 14 million euros in direct aid to pregnant women under 30 years of age.
More ACs supporting
According to the reportLast year, the number of Autonomous Communities that offer support to pregnant women increased from 7 to 11. At the same time, only 7 provincial councils (out of 42) and 10 (out of 50) provincial capital city councils support this group. Only Madrid and La Rioja offer significant amounts to mothers in their Autonomous Communities, according to the report.
RedMadre points out that "the difficulties that Spanish women face in the face of motherhood mean that 1 out of every 4 pregnancies is aborted". In her opinion, "women under 39 years of age without children think that motherhood will negatively influence their job opportunities, their professional fulfillment and their economic situation".
More than half of the inactive people in Spain are women (52.7 %), of whom 15.4 % say they are inactive due to child or family care, and 55 % of households headed by female mothers are at risk of poverty, are some of the data provided.
Spending 12 times more on abortion than on helping women
"Maternity support policies, from the beginning of pregnancy, are insufficient or non-existent, leaving women without the necessary support to face this crucial stage of their lives. It is incomprehensible that in Spain women express the desire to have more than one child and the Public Administrations spend 12 times more on abortion than on helping them to exercise their maternity", said María Torrego, president of RedMadre.
"As our Report shows, the loss of job opportunities, the fear of impoverishment and the scarcity of policies that facilitate the continuity of pregnancy, lead women to give up motherhood," added the director general, Amaya Azcona. In 2023, Spain registered a total of 103,097 abortions or, in statistical terminology, voluntary terminations of pregnancy (VTP), which represents a increase of 4.8 % in absolute terms compared to 2022, in which 98,316 abortions were performed, according to data from the Ministry of Health.
