>From: "Johannes Schneider" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Below are some basic data on the class structure in Germany. It has been >taken from: >http://www.eiro.eurofound.ie/2000/10/features/DE0010287F.html > >Wealth, poverty and income distribution in Germany. >According to the IG Metall "fair share" memorandum, the existing data on >social inequalities are in many respects inadequate. There is currently no >regular and systematic monitoring of wealth distribution in Germany. There >are, however, some indicators which give at least an overview of existing >social inequalities, such as: >- distribution of money assets and real estate; >- the number of citizens living in poverty; and >- income distribution. > >Inequality in the distribution of money assets and real estate >In 1998, all German households together owned net money assets >(Geldverm�gen) of more than DEM 1.9 trillion, which is a clear indicator of >the wealth in German society. An analysis of the distribution of this >wealth, however, reveals enormous inequality (see table 1 below). At the >top, 4.5% of households owned about 29.4% of the overall money assets, while >at the bottom 26.6% of households owned only 0.6% of the overall money >assets. The richest third of German households owned more than 80% of the >overall money assets, while the remaining two-thirds of households owned >only 20%. > >Table 1. Distribution of net money assets in Germany, 1998 % of households >Net money assets % of total net money assets >4.5% More than DEM 200,000 29.4% >29.5% DEM 50,000 to DEM 200,000 51.0% >39.4% DEM 10,000 to DEM 50,000 19.0% >26.6% Less than DEM 10,000 0.6% > >Source: Federal Statistical Office 1999, Sample survey of income and >expenditure 1998, quoted from IG Metall, "fairteilen - Initiative f�r >soziale Gerechtigkeit", Frankfurt aM, 2000. > >A similar inequality exists regarding the distribution of real estate, which >in total was equivalent to a total market value of DEM 6.6 trillion in 1998 >(see table 2). The top 5% of households owned more than 30% of total real >estate market value, and the top 21.8% of households accounted for 71.5% of >total real estate market value, while more than half of all households had >no real estate at all. > >Table 2. Distribution of real estate in Germany, 1998 % of households Real >estate market value % of total real estate market value >5.0% More than DEM 700,000 30.6% >16.8% DEM 350,000 to DEM 700,000 40.9% >22.1% DEM 100,000 to DEM 350,000 27.6% >3.5% Less than DEM 100,000 0.9% >52.6% No real estate 0.0% > >Source: Federal Statistical Office 1999, Sample survey of income and >expenditure 1998, quoted from IG Metall, "fairteilen - Initiative f�r >soziale Gerechtigkeit", Frankfurt aM, 2000. > >Poverty in Germany >Although there is enormous wealth in Germany, a significant proportion of >German citizens live in poverty. According to a recently published report on >poverty in Germany, carried out on behalf of the German Federations of Trade >Unions (Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund, DGB) and the Confederation of German >Welfare Organisations (Parit�tischer Wohlfahrtsverband), every 11th citizen >in Germany was considered as being poor in 1998. Using the international >standard definition of poverty - which is an income of less than 50% of >national average income - the study established that 8.7% of all west >Germans and 10.7% of all east Germans live in poverty (see table 3 below). > >Table 3. Poverty* in Germany, 1998 Group of people % living in poverty >Children 14.2% >Lone parents about 30% >Unemployed about 30% >Immigrants 18.6 % >All citizens in west Germany 8.7% >All citizens in east Germany 10.7% >All citizens 9.1% > >* Poverty = income below 50% of the average income per person in 1998. > >Source: Walter Hanesch et al, "Armut und Ungleichheit in Deutschland", 2000, >forthcoming. > >The risk of poverty is particularly high among certain groups and >households, such as unemployed people, families with children, or >immigrants. About 30% of all unemployed people and lone parents can be >considered as being poor. Moreover, 14.2% of all children have to live in >poverty. There is also a clearly above-average proportion of poverty among >immigrants (18.6%). Finally, the percentage of people who live in poverty >but have a job at the same time is only slightly below the average, which >indicates that Germany has a significant number of so-called "working poor" >(Low wages in a high-wage economy - DE9702201F). Overall, the proportion of >citizens living in poverty has been relatively stable since the mid-1980s. >According to the study's findings, public social transfer payments (ie >welfare benefits) have been able to limit a further increase in poverty, but >have not been sufficient to eliminate the existing level. > >Unequal income distribution >Significant inequalities can be found in both the functional and the >personnel income distribution. The functional income distribution describes >the distribution amongst different forms of income, namely wage earners' >income and income from profits and property. Since pay increases clearly >lagged behind overall economic development during the 1990s, Germany saw a >significant redistribution from wage to profit income and a significant >decline of the share of labour income in the national income from 75% in >1993 to 72.2% in 1998 (Pay increases lag behind overall economic >development - DE0002239N). According to figures issued by IG Metall, between >1991 and 1998 net wages and salaries grew by only about 18%, while income >from profits and property grew by about 39% in the same period. This was the >result not only of very moderate wage agreements but also of a tax policy >which clearly favours profit rather than wage income. > >As far as the personnel income distribution is concerned, there are various >inequalities among different groups of employees or groups of households. >Although there is no systematic evaluation of this issue, various indicators >provided by the Federal Statistical Office (Statistisches Bundesamt) >highlight current personnel income inequalities: > >- there are significant differences between incomes in west and east >Germany. While in 1998 a household in west Germany had an average net >monthly income of DEM 5,250, an average east German household had a net >income of only DEM 3,960, which was 75% of the net income of west German >households; > >- there are significant differences in the average payments of men and >women. In 1999, a female employee in manufacturing earned on average only >77% of the pay received by her male colleagues. In east Germany, the pay >system seems to be more equal, since women earn on average about 90% of >men's earnings; > >- there is a significant difference between white- and blue-collar workers' >incomes. In 1999, a blue-collar worker in manufacturing earned only about >66% of the pay of a white-collar worker; and > >- there are also important sectoral differences, including a significant >low-wage sector which sometimes leads to the phenomenon of the "working >poor" > > >_______________________________________________ >Leninist-International mailing list >[EMAIL PROTECTED] >To change your options or unsubscribe go to: >http://lists.wwpublish.com/mailman/listinfo/leninist-international > _______________________________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki - Finland +358-40-7177941, fax +358-9-7591081 e-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.kominf.pp.fi _______________________________________________________ Kominform list for general information. 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