‘Family 500+’ - populist move that threatens the Polish economy or honest attempt to make a real dif
Poland, with one of the lowest fertility rates in the EU, has for a long time been in dire need of an effective family policy. The widespread unwillingness to have children stems directly from the lack of economic security and inadequately developed social benefits structure, and is particularly well visible when birth rates among Poles in Polish diaspora in UK or other western countries are set against statistics for their compatriots back in Poland.
The 500+ program - one of the main points in the recent electoral campaign of the now ruling Law and Justice - may have been what tipped the scales in their favour. Proponents of this program, in order to encourage Poles to have children and stay in Poland rather than emigrate, initially postulated a monthly allowance of 500zl for each child up to the age of 18. This soon became one of the sources of criticism of the ruling party, which deviated from the original project and in the final draft of the bill excluded the first child in the family from the allowance, offering 500zl for every second and subsequent child.
The inconsistencies between the electoral campaign version and the final one is not the only problematic issue raised in reference to 500+: the unquestionable burden to the Polish economy, the impossibility of predicting the effectiveness of the program, doubts regarding the choice of beneficiaries, the role of Polish women in society. All of the aforementioned aspects have been recently scrutinized in Polish periodicals and the aim of this article is to present a wide gamut of views and often conflicting opinions prevalent in Polish public discourse, sourced from Rzeczpospolita, Gazeta Wyborcza, Fronda, Najwyższy Czas, Polityka and wPolityce.
One of the doubts regarding the 'Family 500+' program is whether it actually helps to solve some of the everyday problems faced by Polish families. According to Dominika Wielowieyska from the centre-left Gazeta Wyborcza daily, the program is “unfair” as it will exclude single mothers and “ineffective” because it may be misspent by dysfunctional families, who could squander the state-given money. She also points out that it would be wiser to introduce changes which would help to “provide equal educational opportunities”. Wielowieyska instead proposes a pro-family program of her own, focusing on financing meals for children in kindergartens or schools, as well-fed children are more likely to intellectually and physically benefit from classes. Similarly to Wielowieyska, Joanna Solska from the left-liberal Polityka weekly also claims that 500+ is not a solution to the problems of Polish families. She argues that in no way will it encourage potential parents to have another child. Solska enumerates the problems which are the real cause of the low birth rate in Poland, which are the lack of infrastructure and an insufficient number of nurseries and kindergartens.
On the other hand, Mirosław Gerwiński, professor of Social Policy at the Janusz Korczak Pedagogical University in Warsaw, in the right-wing wPolityce.pl portal presents a slightly different attitude towards possible changes in the 500+ program. He points out that before the introduction of the aforementioned program, Polish social policy was seriously neglected and such solutions are what Poland needs. However, he also admits that some changes in the program could be introduced for it to be more effective. Gerwiński claims that it may be dangerous to just give people money from the budget without any restrictions; its distribution should be controlled to make sure parents spend the money as intended by the authors of the bill. He believes that 500+ is a good beginning, but that further reforms should be introduced.
Tomasz Teluk, in an article published in the conservative news portal Fronda, claims that the problem of Polish low fertility rate stems from the lack of financial security of large families. Therefore, they should be the very focus of the 500+ program, which will help to restore the popularity of a traditional family. He perceives 500zl as a significant sum of money that should noticeably improve the budget of less-well-off families. Traditional, large families are the backbone of society, and the future of Poland depends on their well-being.
In contrast, in her piece for Gazeta Wyborcza, Wielowieyska argues that 500+ should rather be aimed at the middle-class families. They have the most significant input in the country’s economy, and therefore they should benefit the most from social policies. Wielowieyska admits that to believe all poor parents would squander the money is wrong but, at the same time, “money transfer will not solve the problem” because of what she calls “inherited helplessness”. The state should spend public money more wisely by taking care of children living in dysfunctional families in other ways.
Wojciech Czabanowski from the centre-right Rzeczpospolita daily similarly states that the Polish government’s 500+ program might be an effective tool for encouraging middle-class marriages to have children, not because they otherwise wouldn’t be able to support their children but because only a handful of families can now afford to provide each child with their own flat – a significant head-start in adult life. Thus, the additional 500zl for the second and every subsequent child may be quite an incentive for as-yet-undecided prospective parents worrying about their children’s future. In this respect encouraging those inhabiting the lowest rungs of the social ladder to have children is very idealistic but economically unjustified and in the long-run potentially harmful.
On the other hand, Tomasz Sommer, columnist from the libertarian-conservative Najwyższy Czas weekly, states that a high birth rate is usually already present among rich families, who can easily afford numerous offspring, and also poorer ones, who do not feel responsible for their children. He argues that the 500+ policy could therefore be praised only by “naïve and frauds” as it will likely have a barely noticeable impact on the demographic level, but a significantly negative one on the country’s economy.
Furthermore, the 500+ program may change the social role of women in Poland. Some commentators and politicians seem to be content with the program’s expected outcome, that is a restoration of a more traditional role of a woman, as a mother staying with her children at home. One of those approving comments comes from Tomasz Teluk from Fronda, who believes that this kind of financial support will allow mothers to fully devote themselves to raising children instead of being forced to mix their traditional role with the one of a breadwinner. A columnist in Najwyższy Czas, Tomasz Sommer, expresses a similar belief, stating that “religious values and appropriate family models” are important aspects in motivating people to have children. Sommer makes note of changes in the ideology represented by the Polish government, as the creed of the traditionalist Law and Justice party opposes the leftist virtues of the previous authorities. This is seen as a turning point for the society and the end of “the stupefying of Polish women”.
By contrast, Dominika Wielowieyska in Gazeta Wyborcza believes that the 500+ program may result in the exclusion of some women from the job market. Mothers with a few children would be uninspired to come back to work after maternity leave because they would get similar money for taking care of their children at home. What is more, if a woman does not work for around 18 years she would not be able to find a job or get a proper pension after her children become adults. Joanna Solska, Polityka columnist, criticizes the new government for being “glad that some women due to a better financial situation will stay at home with their children. This ̶ according to the right wing – is their place”. She believes that the conservative way of thinking is outdated: it ignores the ambitions of Polish women who want to combine their professional career and motherhood. Mirosław Grewiński, writing for wPolityce.pl, also highlights the problem of the diminishing number of “traditional families” and the growing number of patchwork ones and civil partnerships. He states that those families should be also be taken into consideration when inventing new projects connected with social policy.
