The embargo has disrupted the structure of the family. Financial pressures have forced many families to sell their possessions and property and move back to live with their in-laws. It is not uncommon to find one or two wage earners supporting a household of between ten and fifteen people. Children are under increasing pressure to drop out of school. Disruption to the country's infrastructure means that there is little government response to new and emerging social problems like child prostitution.
Many children live in houses that lack toys, books and other opportunities to learn and flourish.
NGOs observe an increase in family conflicts, divorce and polygamy. The embargo has become a way of life. There is little talk about sanctions and even less consideration of life after sanctions. While a small percentage of Iraq's population has prospered, the vast majority has been reduced to a subsistence state where their only thought is about day to day survival and providing for their families. Conversations with older generations of Iraqis reveal a people self confident, educated and keen to engage with the outside world.