National
'Everybody Knows ...' - Challenging the myths about one-parent families in Ireland
The OPEN 'Everybody Knows ...' information pack takes the form of a wallet containing brief information sheets summarising statistics about one parent families in Ireland. The pack was funded by the Combat Poverty Agency's UN Day for the Eradication of Poverty 2007 funding programme, and by the Equality Authority's European Year of Equal Opportunities for All programe.
You can download 'Everybody Knows ...' in PDF format; hard copies are available by contacting OPEN's National Centre.
EU Survey on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) 2006 - Central Statistics Office
The EU-SILC figures for 2006 show that one parent families continue to suffer a disproportionate level of poverty.
- A lone parent household with one child was 'at risk of poverty' in 2006 when total income was less than €269.31 per week. Adjusting this figure for inflation (CPI at June 2008) means a figure of €296.55
- 4 in every 10 (39.6%) one parent families were 'at risk of poverty' in 2006. This is equivaltent to 67,225 one parent households. Overall, 17% of the population was 'at risk of poverty'
- Almost a third (32.5%) of one parent families were living in consistent poverty, representing 55,172 lone parent households. The consistent poverty rate for one parent families is more than four and a half times the average rate, which is 6.9%
- The rate of consistent poverty is higher for men parenting alone (36.5%) than for female lone parents (30.7%)
- Almost a fifth (18.8%) of poor one parent families experienced debt arising from ordinary living expenses. A similar proportion (18.1%) went without heating at some stage in the last year
- One in ten lone parent households were not able to afford new (not second hand) clothes (10.2%) or went without a substantial meal at least one day in the past two weeks (9.9%)
Note:
- 'at risk of poverty' is defined as living on less than 60% of median income
- 'consistent poverty' is defined as having an income below 60% of the median and being unable to afford basic necessities. (See the CSO website for further details)
Census 2006- Central Statistics Office
The Principal Demographic Results of Census 2006 are now available; Volume 3, detailing Household Composition, Family Units and Fertility,was published on 31st May.
Census 2006 shows that:
- There were 189,213 one parent families - 18% of all families in Ireland
- 86% of one parent families are lone mothers, 14% are lone fathers
- 58% of one parent families have one child, 26% have 2 children, and 10% have three children
- There were 169,761 lone parent households - 12% of all households in Ireland
- 19,452 one parent families, over 10% of all lone parents, live in multi-family households, for example, they live with their own parents
Note: Census 2006 captured more detailed data on relationships between persons living in the same household than previously, giving a more accurate assessment of multi-family households.
- A household is defined as a group of people (not necessarily related) living at the same address with common housekeeping arrangements
- A family is defined as either a husband and wife or cohabiting couple; a husband and wife or cohabiting couple with one or more children (usually resident, never married, of any age); or one parent with one or more children
2005 Assessment of Housing Need - Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government
In 2005, there were 16,795 one parent families on the waiting list for social housing:
- one parent families made up 38% of all households on the list
- 69% of one parent households had only 1 child
- 67% had been waiting for housing for more than a year
Department of Social and Family Affairs (2005)
In 2005 there were 80,366 lone parents in receipt of the One-Parent Family Payment:
- 98% of recipients are women
- 1.3% are under 20 years of age, 42% are between 20-29 years old, and 35% are between 30-39
- approximately 60% are employed
- half of all recipients live in Dublin, Cork and Limerick (35%, 10%, and 5% respectively)
- 23% of Rent Supplement recipients on on the One-Parent Family Payment
This page was updated on 22nd July, 2008