- Financial help within families is increasing internationally.
- In Switzerland, one in five people financially supports someone outside their own household.
- There are also readers in the community who either need help or help someone themselves.
- Marc* (24) works full time, but is dependent on his mother’s money because of debts and high costs.
- Mona* (37) receives support for a professional reorientation due to burnout.
- David* (36), on the other hand, supports his father financially and takes it for granted.
“I work 100 percent – and it’s still not enough.” Marc* (24) receives 300 to 400 francs every month from his mother. “Not because I’m comfortable, but because despite working 100 percent and working for several years, I’ve never really reached a stable point financially. I built up debt early on and spent a long time paying back more than I built up.”
At the same time, he bears all running costs himself. The problem is not a lack of will, but a “system of high living costs and legacy burdens” that makes it extremely difficult for a young person to really stand on their own two feet, as Marc continues. But he also says: “For me, the limit is clear: support cannot be a permanent state. It is currently an emergency solution, not a model of life.”
His focus is on reducing his debt and expanding his financial freedom. And: “Dependency doesn’t feel good – but it’s reality at the moment.”
Financial support is increasing
What Marc describes is not an isolated case. In Switzerland, around one in five people financially supports someone outside their own household, as figures from the Federal Statistical Office show. This often also includes money flows within the family.
At the same time, there is also a clear trend internationally: analyzes by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development show that financial support within families is increasing in many countries.
How do you feel about financial support in the family?
There are also other readers in the community who need help or even help themselves:
Burnout leads to parental support
Mona* (37) needs support for health reasons – also for a new beginning, as she says: “At the end of 2018 I suffered burnout. Since then I haven’t been able to work 100 percent.” In order to be able to reorient herself professionally, her parents financed her training to become a dive master.
«I’m currently in Indonesia and looking for a job in this area. My wish is then to be able to work seasonally. I don’t like being trapped in the Swiss system anymore.”
“That’s a given”
Things are different for David* (36). He supports his father. “For me it’s a given! I couldn’t imagine living off my parents.” His father even has the debit card from his account, he goes on to say. And further: “He lived for a relatively long time in an apartment that I provided in order to repay the debts.”
*Names have been changed.
Deborah Gonzalez (dgo) has been working at 20 Minuten since 2021. She is deputy head of the Society & Community department.
