Lone parent families in the UK

Résumé du document

In Britain, one child in four now lives in a single parent family, it is estimated that about one half to one third of the remaining children will find themselves a part of a single parent family at some time in their lives. In the UK alone, there are 1.7 million lone parents caring for 2.9 million children. People may find themselves dealing with a situation of single parenthood because of various circumstances such as bereavement, desertion by a partner, or a breakdown of their relationship. Around one third of such parents have even experienced domestic violence. Lone parents may equally be mothers or fathers, from any ethnic group or social class. However, what they have in common is that they generally they survive on a low income. 62 per cent of single parents live in poverty. Coping as a single parent is difficult for adults as well as for children and can lead to financial and social hardship. At the outset, it is necessary to explain the origin and context of this phenomenon that that is linked with the recent fundamental changes in the British society. We will thus begin with a study of the historical background of these changes in the families, and then detail the economical problems that lone mothers have to cope with. We will also study the social problems that affect such families, mainly the children and the particular problems faced by some single father families.

Extraits

[...] The Lone parent Trap: How the Welfare System Discourages Marriage, article published in May 2002 on Civitas Website. How Do Fathers Fit In? published on Civitas Website. Lone parent Families Action Facts. Statistics extracted from articles published on various website: www.statistics.gov.uk , www.dwp.gov.uk , www.oneparentfamilies.org.uk , www.guardian.co.uk Two documents of the association Gingerbread, an association for lone parent families, published on the website: www.gingerbread.org.uk. - Gingerbread, Recognition and Respect, building a brighter future for lone parent families - Focus on lone fathers Horizons, your family, your future, document on a project funded by the association Barclaycard. [...]

[...] Many of the poor outcomes associated with disrupted family backgrounds can be explained in part by the poverty or reduced income levels that occur around divorce, separation and lone parenthood. Also it is not even easy to get a job that allows them to combine the roles of main breadwinner and main carer. Lone mothers are at an immediate disadvantage compared with most couple families they only have one person (themselves) bringing in an income. Their poverty is mainly linked with low paid work. The social problems that affect those families and mainly children. [...]

[...] The government attempted to reduce the poverty of lone parents and children through cash awards and work incentives. There is a consensus that lone parenthood and the poverty that often accompanies it are associated with social exclusion. Because teenage childbearing out of wedlock is one major pathway into lone parenthood, the government has made reducing the incidence of teenage parenthood a priority. They also have undertaken to reduce the level of social exclusion experienced by teenage mothers. In October 1998, the government launched a Deal for Lone Parents” (NDLP), designed to alleviate poverty for lone parents by helping them overcome the obstacles to entering paid work. [...]

[...] Of those eligible to participate, about 30% agreed to an interview with a personal adviser. About 85% of those who interviewed joined the NDLP case load. As of April 2001, about 25% of lone parents who attended an initial interview with NDLP had left the programme to move into employment. Also there are associations like Gingerbread or Horizons that are associations for lone parents that provide them information of all kinds to help them to overcome the difficulties of being a lone parent. [...]

[...] Several studies tend to prove that children born or raised in lone parent families have more social problems than others. According to some studies made by social scientists, in a two- parent family, fathers and mothers have complementary roles. It is generally agreed that men and women should no longer be regarded as “opposites”. The important thing to remember is that mothers and fathers often bring different strengths and styles to their parenting roles. This roles complement each other, meaning that they are not interchangeable and are each necessary for healthy childrearing. [...]