The percentage of families living below the poverty line has risen substantially during the past four years, according to a study by National Insurance Institute (NII) economists. The rise is especially pronounced among families with large numbers of children. One of the conclusions drawn by the NII researchers is that child allowances paid to the families have not kept pace with inflation.
In 1977,2.8 percent of families were adjudged below the poverty line. In 1978 the figure was 3.3 percent and in 1979 it was 3.8 percent. Poverty families with four to five children showed a steeper rise: from 4.6 percent of them living below the poverty line in 1977 to 9.6 percent in 1980. The poverty line is determined as a proportion of the average national wage by government and NII economists.
Among families with six children or more the situation is even worse: the poverty statistics among them has trebled over the last four years, from 6.7 percent in 1977 to 21.1 percent today. One-parent families also suffered heavily from rising inflation: the percentage of them living below the poverty line was 23.9 percent in 1979 compared to 7.8 percent in 1977.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
