Parenting

what percentage of children are born outside marriage in 2024, but almost all jointly registered by both parents?

48%

Births outside of marriage rising due to what?

a decline in stigma, rise in cohabitation

And women now have options beyond motherhood, leading to what?

later childbearing, fewer children, more remaining childless

roughly how many children live in a single parent family?

1/4

and over 90% of them are what?

matrifocal

until early 90s, what became the biggest group of single mothers?

divorced women

a child living with a single parent is how many more times likely to be in poverty as a child living with 2 parents?

2x

why might this be?

• increase in divorce, separation and never-married women

• death of a parent used to be a common cause

What’s Charles Murray’s view on single parents?

• growth of families are created because the welfare state is too generous, creating a dependency culture

what does he call this?

perverse incentives

what does he think the solution is?

• abolish welfare benefits to discourage births outside marriage

what do critics say?

welfare benefits aren’t generous and single-parent families are much more likely to be in poverty

2 reasons why this might be?

• inadequate welfare benefits

• most single parents are women, who generally earn less

what does research show about stepfamilies related to first families?

• stepfamilies at greater risk of poverty and there can be issues with divided loyalty and conflict between divorced couples

why might there be an increase in step families?

factors creating more single-parents, divorce and seperation

why might there be more children from woman’s prior relationships?

courts favour mothers custody

why are step parents at higher risk of custody?

more children to support as they’re supporting children from previous relationships

why might there be tensions in stepfamilies?

lack of social norms around their arrangements

Regarding ethnic differences, who are most likely to be single parents?

black and black british

who have the highest number of marries partners?

asian and asian british