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del.icio.us Digg It!  new Last update - 07:40 31/12/2007 Number of 'large families' rises, despite welfare payment cuts By Ruth Sinai, Haaretz Correspondent Tags: Israel, Bedouin, Haredi  The number of Israeli families with at least four children and the number of single-parent families both increased in recent years. The figures are from the most recent yearbook of the National Council for the Child, which was issued Sunday. From 1980 to 2000, there was a gradual decline in the number of families with four or more children, from 20.9 percent of all families with children to 16.3 percent. Since 2001, however, according to National Insurance Institute figures in the yearbook, the decline reversed. By the start of 2007, the number had climbed to 17 percent. In 2000, there were 150,000 families in Israel with four or more children - the definition of a large family. At the beginning of 2007, there were 166,000. Monthly child allowances from the state were cut back sharply beginning in 2003. As a result, the number of large families under the poverty line increased from 54.7 percent in 2004 to 60 percent last year. Overall, one out of every three children in Israel is living under the poverty line, while in the Bedouin community the figure is nearly 70 percent. Advertisement About 20 percent of Israeli children, nearly 420,000, are registered with welfare authorities, although not all receive welfare services. This represents a 44 percent increase over 2001. Over two-thirds are registered due to economic reasons. In the past year, the average number of children per family rose slightly. In 1980, the average was 2.7 children per family. It declined to 2.3 in 2003 and rose to 2.4 in 2006. This figure reflects a rise in the number of families with three or more children and a drop in the number of one-child families, possibly due to the dwindling number of families immigrating from the former Soviet Union. About 8.5 percent of children in Israel are in single-parent families, compared to 6.8 percent a decade ago. The sharpest rise, of about 50 percent, was in families headed by an unmarried single parent, - from 23,800 in 2000 to 35,400 in 2006. Of the 2.365 million children in Israel today, 69.1 percent are Jews, compared to 75 percent a decade ago; 1.9 percent are Christian, compared to 2.7 percent in 1995. The proportion of Muslim children rose from 20.2 percent to 24 percent. The ultra-Orthodox community of Beitar Illit is Israel's youngest city, with children making up 62.6 percent of the population. At the other end of the spectrum, 20 percent of Tel Aviv is under the age of 18. According to the yearbook, 93 percent of Israeli children have a computer at home and 80 percent have their own cell phone. The number of criminal cases involving minors fell by 11 percent from 2004 to 2006. The number of minors suspected of violent crimes remained steady, but the number of cases rose because more cases were initiated for each minor. The average weight of new army recruits is rising. While in the 1980s only 6.6 percent of male recruits weighed more than 81 kilos at the time of enlistment, by 2006, that number doubled to 13 percent. The number of female recruits weighing 81 kilos or more rose even more, from 1.7 percent to 4 percent. Related articles: New child allowance plan targets polygamy NII report: 100,000 newly poor, half of them children Shas retreats from demand to restore child allowances Bookmark to del.icio.us Au revoir Assad Sarkozy says he'll cut ties with Syria over the Lebanon presidential crisis. Women march on Women in Black marks its 20th year, but the occupation continues.   1.   and yet zion stilll has money for nukes and tanks and walls 02:56  |  sad 31/12/07   2.   Without Nukes, Tanks and Walls There Would be No Children 03:41  |  I`m Sad Too 31/12/07

Today Online PM spokesman says Israel taking bin Laden threat seriously Responses: 428 Pinpointed IAF attacks in Gaza more precise, hurt fewer civilians Responses: 169 Harel and Issacharoff: Nipping new Jewish terror group in the bud Responses: 123 Women in Black marks 20th year, but occupation continues Responses: 81 France to cut ties to Syria over Lebanese presidential crisis Responses: 75 Rosner's Domain "Let us hope the peace process will be failure" (WTR) Rosner's Guest: Jennifer Moses on namby-pamby Judaism As foreign policy becomes more dominant in the campaign, Israel will draw closer to its center Poll: The most likely event to happen in 2008 More Headlines 07:26 Palestinians: IDF kills Gazan en route from hajj 06:31 Study: Number of Palestinians killed by IDF dropped 43% in '07 07:31 Striking lecturers aim to get university presidents to resign 07:40 Number of 'large families' rises, despite welfare payment cuts 01:59 Arab pupils lag behind Jewish peers in reading comprehension 05:36 Work-related pension plan to kick off with new year 01:45 Surviving hiker recounts Friday`s shooting attack in Hebron Hills 04:57 Police gather saliva samples from prisoners for DNA bank 07:28 Olmert spokesman says Israel taking bin Laden threats seriously Previous Editions Select Day 30 dec 28 dec 27 dec 26 dec 25 dec 24 dec 23 dec 21 dec 20 dec 19 dec 18 dec 17 dec

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