The work-life balance for modern families with children in Spain is a daily challenge. Especially during the summer months, when schools close, many parents desperately seek solutions to ensure their children are cared for while they continue to work. Summer camps have evolved from a leisure alternative to an indispensable support, particularly for households that lack family support from grandparents or other relatives. However, this crucial relief is increasingly becoming a financial burden for many Spanish families.
Rising Costs Make Summer Camps Inaccessible
A recent report by the EAE Business School, part of the Planeta Formación y Universidades higher education network, titled “Summer Camps in Spain,” highlights the precarious situation. According to the report, summer camp prices have risen by 5.2% in the last two years, exceeding the average inflation rate. This cost explosion forces 7 out of 10 households to forgo their own vacations to enable their children to attend a camp.
Despite this, an impressive two out of three Spanish families – equivalent to about three million children – opted for a children’s camp last summer to ensure work-life compatibility. However, the study reveals an alarming inequality: up to 34% of households with children cannot afford summer camps. This creates a structural inequality that directly affects childhood and family recreation.
The average expenditure per child for a summer camp, according to the report, ranges between 200 and 2,000 euros. This accounts for 2.5% of the annual family budget and up to 8% of leisure and education expenses. Miguel Ángel López, a lecturer at EAE Business School and author of the report, emphasizes: “Despite their benefits, summer camps are not available to all families. The great diversity of family structures determines access to these activities.”
Financial Burden for Single-Parent and Single-Income Households
López further explains that the total costs, including registration fees, transportation, and necessary materials, represent a significant obstacle for many households. For 57% of Spanish families, this can mean a “significant economic burden,” especially for the nearly 2 million single-parent families and the 1.82 million two-parent families with only one income.
In light of this situation, the Más Madrid party recently called on the Madrid city council to offer free municipal camps for all children in the capital. Rita Maestre, the party’s spokesperson in Madrid, argued: “Municipal camps are the solution most used by parents, but public and free camps are scarce. Getting them is a lottery, and private ones represent an economic hole that is out of reach for many families.”
Insufficient Public Offerings – Gender Gap Intensifies
The EAE Business School report also highlights the positive effects of summer camps: they promote children’s autonomy, coexistence, creativity, and physical activity. Sports activities are particularly popular (31%), followed by artistic offerings (15%).
However, the public offering of summer camps only covers 30% of the actual demand. This forces many families to resort to more expensive private camps, ask relatives for help, or take vacation themselves. Alarmingly, 90% of these vacation requests are made by women, further solidifying the existing gender gap in work-life balance in Spain.
