According to an INSEE study, in 2021, 80,800 children under the age of 18 lived with their families in the archipelago. Often also from a single-parent family, with their mother in most cases, or more rarely in a blended family.
The single-parent family is a model far from being marginal in Guadeloupe. According to this latest INSEE survey, one in two children in the department lives within this family model from their first year.
Often the mother, in a stable proportion throughout childhood, the family structure varies little with the age of the children.
In comparison, in France, single parenthood becomes more frequent with the age of the children, due to separations over the years. The study indicates that shared residence, where the child shares his ttime of residence in a balanced manner between both parentsis extremely rare in Guadeloupe. It only concerns 1% of children in this situation, compared to 10% in mainland France.
This figure highlights the weight of mothers as the main parent, sometimes the only parent, a clearly marked trend in the archipelago.
In Guadeloupe, theaverage size of siblings is lower than that of France. With an average size of 1.8 children per family, the proportion of only children reaches 27%, compared to 20% across the Atlantic.
Conversely, the proportion of children living with brothers and sisters is lower in the region than at the national level: 42% of children live in siblings of two children, the remaining 31% grow up in families with three or more children. more in Guadeloupe compared to respectively 45% and 35% for France.
-Blended families, although in the minority, have on average more children (2.3 in Guadeloupe compared to 2.4 in France).
The level of education of the reference person also influences the living conditions of the children. In Guadeloupe, 46% of children live in a family where the reference person does not have a baccalaureate, a higher proportion than in mainland France (39%). This trend is particularly marked in blended and single-parent families.
Low-educated mothers often head blended families, while women with higher education are more likely to remain single parents. This could be partly explained by the fact that low-educated mothers are more inclined to re-form a couple, while more-educated women may be more likely to choose to raise their children without marital support, their professional career allowing them to enjoy greater financial autonomy.
Children from single-parent families are particularly exposed to precariousness, details the INSEE survey. Less than half of them (49%) live with a working parent, compared to 70% in mainland France.
This situation is partly explained by constraints linked to childcare, but also by a less favorable local job market. Indeed, in 2021, the employment rate in Guadeloupe is 16 points lower than that of mainland France (52% compared to 68%).