A political priority

“By addressing this issue politics acknowledges the family’s social and public role and its importance in the organization of labour “: Cardinal Ennio Antonelli, President of the Pontifical Council for the Family, said taking the floor Friday February 6, in Prague, in his speech “Family support in a time of demographic crisis and educational emergency”. The speech was delivered during the Conference promoted by the European Council held in the Czech capital: “Child care and job policies: conflicting or complementary? “The Conference was attended by politicians from European countries, scholars, university professors, demographers, sociologists and representatives from institutes and associations for the development of family policies. Cardinal Antonelli’s speech highlighted some important issues on family policies: relationship between family and development, demographic crisis and so called “educational emergency”, the family role in pursuing “social well-begin”, economic policies and the family.Not only GDP. Card. Antonelli started from the practical issue of labour. “Conciliation between labour needs and those of family life – he said – is necessary for the well-begin of people and society”. With reference to the internationally re-known, and winner of the Nobel Memorial prize in Economics, Mr. Amartya Sen, he highlighted how Sen himself “underlined that a country’s development and wellbeing is not only determined by the Gross Domestic Product, but especially by the quality of life, relations, and freedom. So, many sociological surveys demonstrate how families help in producing complete human development.” The advantages of a family. Card. Antonelli mentioned the message that clearly emerged from the recent World Family Meeting in Mexico: “the union between a man and a woman in a stable and lasting marriage offers more social advantages than other couples and single mothers. The married couple provides greater education possibilities, higher school -attendance, better performance and professional success, less delinquency, lower cigarettes, alcohol and drugs consumption. Among married couples there are also lower child mortality rates, better physical health and psychologically stable children and parents, less depression among women, higher life expectancy (especially among men), more work productivity, higher income, and lower possibilities of falling into poverty, lower social costs for the State.”School of gregariousness. Regarding these data, card. Antonelli highlighted that “domestic labour in not considered as socially productive and a woman who gives up her job to look after her children, will impoverish herself and her family”. The “serious European demographic crisis – he added- has led to a fertility rate of 1.56 (in Italy 1.2), far below generation turnover cycle of 2.1”. Focus must be placed on the family to fight against “negative outcomes of ethical degradation and social disruption” and “commitment towards the family must become a priority in Europe”. He also addressed the ethical aspects of family life, claiming “family nourishes all its members, especially children, personal and social virtues. Trust among one another and God; acknowledgement of dignity and respect for justice, loyalty, service, frankness, caring for weaker people, forgiveness of all offences, dialogue, faith, cooperation and solidarity”. Mentioning pope John Paul II’s words , card. Antonelli stressed how “the family is the first and irreplaceable school of gregariousness”.Political requests. The last part of the cardinal’s speech is centred on the need for policy-maker to concretely support the family starting from young couples: by ensuring minimum wages for young people who are often trapped into “flexible and temporary jobs”, “favouring reunions”, providing “working hours compatible with family life”, “more equity of taxation” “adequate services /kindergarten, schools, etc.)” “educational freedom”. He advocates “the family as a priority, liable to its own rights and duties”.