ABSTRACT
Children are vulnerable citizens; they are dependent on the good-will of others and have little power of their own. Children are also important citizens; they represent the future of their society. The well-being of children depends on two processes, first how the families in which children live fare in society, and then how children specifically fare in their families. Well-being is estimated from the sum of income from sources outside of the family and the value added through within-family economies. This chapter analyzes the relative economic situation of families with children, bringing the analysis forward to a comparison of family types by consumption standard. It examines the analysis forward to the economic situation of persons. The presence of children in a family influences its economic situation through the costs of rearing children. The standard of living of children depends on the position of families with children in society and the position of children in their families.
