lone parent households

• Trends & Patterns 

  The number of lone parent families has significantly increased in recent years. For example, in Britain, in 1972, lone-parent families, as a proportion of all families with dependent children, stood at 7% (Social Trends, 2007). 

  The ONS estimated that in 1996 there were approximately 1.6 million one- parent families with dependent children in Britain. In 2012, this figure rose to 2 million. 

  This figure has continued to rise. In 2021, the Office for National Statistics revealed that there were 3.0 million lone parent families, which accounts for 15.4% of families in the Uk
• Reasons for rise in lone parent families

  • Divorce & Relationship Breakdown
  • Changing Social Attitudes
  • Secularisation
  • Welfare and state benefits
• Divorce & Relationship Breakdown

  Increase in separation and divorce created more lone parent families, especially female headed lone parent families because children are more likely to live with their mother where as the father is more likely to leave the family home
• Changes in divorce legislation

  1. Divorce Reform Act introduced no-fault divorce

  2. Separation for two years considered sufficient grounds if both partners agreed, or separation for five years if one contested the divorce
• Decline in stigma attached to divorce since the 1960s, making it more socially acceptable and normalised
• Functionalists argue the rise in divorce reflects the increasing value placed on marriage, as people expect and demand more from marriage and are more likely to end a relationship rather than remain in an 'empty-shell marriage'
• Confluent love and pure relationships

  Shift towards relationships based solely on love, with a belief that marriage should be based on love and individuals should pursue personal satisfaction
• More women than men petition for divorce, with unreasonable behaviour being the most common reason for wives petitioning for divorce among opposite-sex couples in 2020
• Women's financial independence and career focus

  Has improved the confidence of women to seek out what they want from life and less likely to tolerate a partner that does not fulfil their individual needs
• Cohabiting couples with children are twice as likely to end their relationship than married couples with children
• Changing social attitudes


  Single-parent family is becoming accepted as a legitimate alternative to other family structures, with less stigma attached to children of unmarried mothers and lone-parent families becoming increasingly acceptable
• Increasing number of middle-class career women are electing to have children in their late 30s and early 40s, and choosing to bring these children up alone
• Secularisation


  Decline in traditional organised religious belief, with marriage no longer seen as irrelevant and many family types not being stigmatised
• New Right thinkers argue that the welfare state creates a 'dependency culture' in which people assume the state will support them and their children, allowing and even encouraging a 'perverse incentive' to have children without being able to provide for them
• Critics of New Right views argue that welfare benefits are far from generous and not enough to live off, therefore lone parent families are much more likely to live in poverty
• Reasons for rise in lone parent families

  .Divorce & Relationship Breakdown

  • increase in separation -changes in legislation 
  • decline in the stigma attached to divorce.
  • rise in divorce reflects increased value placed on marriage. - moved away from 'staying together for the kids'. Free pursue own interests  
  • women petition for divorce more- are more financially independent , career focused,less likely tolerate a partner that does not fulfil their needs .dual burden of paid work and domestic work. 
  • cohabiting couples with children are twice as likely to end relationship than married

   
• Changing Social Attitudes 


  • Rapoport- is becoming accepted as a legitimate alternative to other family structures. Allan As outlined in previous units, there and Crow (2001) have identified two factors- is increase in marital breakdown and a rise in births to unmarried mothers- is greater tolerance of divorce, births outside marriage and subsequent lone parenthood. far less pressure for single mothers to get married to legitimise a baby. people choose be 'single parents by choice'-
• Secularisation 


  • decline in stigma underpinned by secularisation. Many religions, teach us that a nuclear family is only appropriate family type. Wilson-decline in religious power with idea of marriage now seen as irrelevant and many family types now arent stigmatised. couples no longer feel bound to remain in 'empty shell marriages' for fear of religious sanctions; thereby leading to a rise in lone parent families.
• Welfare and state benefits 

  • Murray -welfare payments allow and encourage people to have children without being able to provide for them. The welfare state creates a 'dependency culture' . New Right - women do not need to marry to be financially supported; instead, can be single parents and claim welfare benefits. critics of New Right - welfare benefits are far from generous and not enough to live off; so are more likely to live in poverty.