Spain: far-reaching consequences you would not expect
In the last post I have analyzed the causes of the low levels of literacy in Spain. However, there is a question to be asked. What are the consequences of the low levels of literacy Spain?
To answer this, it is useful to consider economic structure through its three main (negative) elements. Unemployment, inequalities, and a radical change in the economy are the most striking consequences of low levels of literacy.
Unemployment, a widespread phenomenon
Unemployment is the first and most evident effect of the country’s low levels of literacy. Unemployment rate in 2020 was 15.67%, Spain was the second worst-performing EU member. These statistics are worrying, if related to the high early-school leave rates in Spain, well above EU average.
However, the phenomenon is different within the various regions, since they play a crucial role in defining Spanish various identities. For example, in Andalucía, unemployment rates are higher than in the regions of the center and the north.
Inequalities, the fil rouge of Spanish societies
Spanish society has always been divided by socio-economic differences. They are like what the French call a fil rouge, a common theme, throughout the centuries, and ours is no exception. Socio-economic differences are alimented by differences in employment levels.
However, they are clearly reflected in differences in literacy levels also, meaning that people with higher levels of literacy have more changes of getting a higher paid job.
Changes in the economic structure
Lastly, when you think of Spain, what comes to your mind? Tasty food, stunning beaches, and crazy night life. Exactly. For decades, the Spanish economic sector has been founded on tourism. And civil construction. However, those industry models do not exist anymore. The economic crisis of 2008-2009 and the COVID pandemic destroyed tourism and traditional sectors of Spanish economy, revealing its weaknesses.
This situation did not help employment nor socio-economic differences to disappear.
Where does this lead us?
Maybe you have never thought that low levels of literacy could have such far-reaching consequences. Honestly, neither did I. Few people would immediately connect unemployment, socio-economic differences, and the economic structure with literacy levels. The connection is not immediate and some of them are more closely related, but it is important to consider this link.
That is why it is so important to maintain the debate lively about literacy and reflect on the skills we think we have as a natural right, but they are not.
Photo credits:
Photo 1: Photo by Hajran Pambudi on Unsplash / Photo 2: Photo by Ibrahim Boran on Unsplash / Photo 3: Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash
Hello Anna!
I really enjoyed reading both parts of your blog!
We are here talking about Spain but it applies to all countries, do you know if the idea of having a bigger salary when having more literacy skills acts as a motivation for people to educate themselves more? Could it incite them to take needed classes? 😀
Hi Marie!
Thank you for your comment and your questions, I find them really stimulating! 😊
I appreciate the attempt to generalize the issue raised, but unfortunately I do not feel prepared to answer in such a universal level. Therefore, I will limit myself to Spain, the country I feel to know more about 😉
From what I read (in particular, Guimaraes, Lucio-Villegas & Mayo, 2018), the problem in adult education is the fact that the paradigm that the EU proposes, Lifelong Learning (LLL) is too market-oriented. In other words, the European Union has tried to improve literacy by preparing individuals to the labor market. It is argued that this shouldn’t always be the ultimate or only scope of Adult Education and Learning (AEL), entailing other social dimensions, such as the emancipation and self-development of the people. Or allowing them to have a better understanding of the world, finding new interests. These last aspects seem to be overlooked by EU Lifelong Learning projects. The imprinting of these policies is not ideal nor stimulating to people to obtain higher degrees of education.
What I am trying to say is that I don’t think that the perspective of having higher salaries would incite the population to take extra classes, since I consider the lack of policies or inadequacy of policies as a major obstacle to really motivating the people to do it. In particular, I consider structural factors (as I said, lack of national policies, major unemployment, inequalities) quite impossible to overcome in the present setting.
thank you very much for your answer! 😀
Hi Anna! I had a good time reading your blog post, it was super interesting to learn about the different links. I don’t know if you would have the answer to my question but do you have any idea about what could explain the differences between the Spanish regions? If you didn’t encounter anything during your research do not worry at all, your blog post already gave me a super good insight!
Hi Léa, thank you for your question! It depends on what you mean. If you mean differences in literacy rates, I found that the main differences leads back to the Spanish administrative structure, in which all the autonomous regions have legislative powers education. However, if you mean in general differences between regions, I guess it is due to historical and cultural reasons, which lead the population to develop according to various influences and values they came in contact with. 😊
Thank you Anna! I did not know the different regions had autonomous legislative powers regarding the education domain.
Hi Anna, a very interesting continuation of your last post! I was wondering, what would you say about the relation between the Spanish regions and their socio-economic situations in relation to illiteracy levels? Is the illiteracy divided by regions or does it more depend on the citizens themselves?
Hi Gabbie, thank you for raising this question. I believe there surely is a correlation between the poorer regions in the costal areas and more developed territories in the hinterland, such as the Madrid region. Literacy levels tend to recflect these economic differences. And, since the single regions have legislative power on education, they have a more clear idea of the literacy levels of their specific territory, allowing them to legislate according to the needs of the population. However, I do think that individual differences and socio-economic background also play a part in the acquisition of higher levels of education in single households.
I hope this answers your question! 😊
Hi Anna! Thank you for making this post so enjoyable to read and very insightful! I was aware of the situation in Spain and how many of us associate Spain with good food, tapas, liveliness, beach, nice weather and great place for vacation. But I did not think about the situation they way you explained it. I am not sure why it happens, it would be maybe interesting to research about it. I do believe that this is even more felt with COVID when some parts of the country were relaying on tourism. Indeed, lets keep the conversation opened….
Hi Adina! Thank you for the comment 😊 indeed, I find the topic interesting and particularly open to be researched about, since compared to other academic fields literacy has gained awareness just quite recently.