BERLIN, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- Although the German economy had grown in recent years and unemployment had fallen, the poverty rate remained at a record high, according to a study presented by the Paritaetische Gesamtverband association of social movements on Thursday.
The favorable economic developments in Germany did "not reach the poor" , and children, adolescents and their families were disproportionately affected by poverty, according to the association.
It calculated, based on most recent statistics from 2013, that the income of the poorest families in Germany fell by an average of 3.2 percent within ten years while for the richest, it increased by 0.8 percent.
The poorest ten percent of couple households could only spend 364 euros (402 U.S. dollars) a month on their child while the richest ten percent of families would have an average of 1,200 euros per month to spend on their child, according to the Paritaetische Gesamtverband.
The difference was even greater when it came to expenditure on social participation, such as toys, visits to the zoo and other leisure as well as cultural activities in German families.
The poorest tenth of German families had only 44 euros per month at their disposal for such expenses while the richest tenth had almost six times as much at 257 euros, the study showed.
The authors of the study were alarmed that German children from the poorest ten percent of families were falling further and further behind as "negative poverty effects" could be identified in children's social participation, education and health.
"Obviously there is a lack and deprivation in these households," they wrote and emphasized that it was not possible for children to grow up on "an equal footing in the low-income households".
"The education and participation package has completely flopped," criticized Ulrich Schneider, managing director of the Paritaetische Gesamtverband.
A spokesperson for the German ministry for families rejected the criticism as "misleading" because it did not take new reforms into account.
