Inequalities between women and men are also found in pocket money, is one of the conclusions of a CSA* study for the Milan publishing house.
If half of children between 10 and 15 years old receive pocket money from their parents, specifically this refers to 52% of boys, compared to 47% of girls. Between 10 and 12 years old, the difference is even clearer: 48% receive pocket money compared to 40% of girls.
The difference is also felt in terms of the money paid. The average amount is, therefore, 42 euros per month, between 44 and 46 euros per month for boys (depending on their age) and between 38 and 40 euros per month for girls.
Furthermore, “boys have access to pocket money before girls. 48% of boys aged 10 to 12 already receive it. This only happens with 40% of girls of the same age,” reads the study that talks about “double punishment for girls.”
A trend towards savings
There are also differences between girls and boys when it comes to spending: 56% of boys buy video games or music while 47% of girls buy clothes.
More generally, “older people spend more of their pocket money on excursions, food and clothing, while younger people have a greater sensitivity towards entertainment,” it reads.
Interestingly, 55% of children between 10 and 15 years old save part of this pocket money to, for example, make an expensive purchase.
For those who receive money from their parents, this does not happen without compensation for 73% of parents.
Thus, payment is conditional on good academic results (49%), good attitude (41%) and help with household tasks (33%). And on the contrary, it can be suspended as a punishment for 67% of the parents surveyed.
Parents’ salaries, a taboo topic
If pocket money is a common topic in discussions between parents and children, what about other financial topics?
The study shows that 98% of parents raise the topic of money in front of their children, with no differences between girls and boys. “They talk more about daily expenses and the price of things than about savings, investments or sources of income” we can read.
The question of parents’ salaries therefore seems taboo: “only 29% of the parents interviewed talk about their salaries with their children, which demonstrates the persistence of a taboo, even within the family circle.”
*: study carried out online on a panel: sample of 804 parents of adolescents aged 10 to 15 years and analysis of 1,101 adolescents aged 10 to 15 years. Study carried out from June 12 to June 21, 2023.
Source: BFM TV
