Children in one-parent families are the “most disadvantaged in terms of household income and maternal 
education” according to a survey [1] of five year old children in Ireland.
The latest report from the Growing Up In Ireland project, entitled The Family Circumstances of Five Year Olds, found that children born into single parent families were more than twice as likely to be in the lowest income group in the study.
The study divided families according to household income into five equal groups, or quintiles, from the bottom 20pc to the highest 20pc.
According to the report, 42pc of larger one-parent families were in the lowest income group compared with 17pc of larger two-parent families. ‘Larger’ in this case means more than one child.
The report also found that children in single income families were disadvantaged in terms of the educational attainment of their mothers.
The proportion of mothers in two-parent families who had a degree was more than twice that among one-parent families.
Only 27pc of mothers in single parent families had a college degree, compared to 63pc of mothers in two parent families.
The report found that 86pc of five year olds lived in two-parent families with the remainder, 14pc, being raised by lone parents.
The study said that the overall proportions of one- and two-parent families were fairly constant between nine months and five years, there were some changes worthy of note: four percent of children had changed from a one- to a two-parent family, while a counterbalancing four percent had changed in the opposite direction, from a two- to a one-parent family
The report showed that 98pc of five-year-olds, the Primary Caregiver in the home was their mother. For just over one percent it was their father.
In just over 98pc of two-parent families, the Secondary Caregiver was the five-year-old’s biological father.
Over half (55pc) of the mothers of five-year-olds were employed outside the home while 36pc described themselves as primarily looking after the home/family.
A further five percent described themselves as unemployed and a final five as other.
The report also found that families are finding it increasingly hard to balance their household budgets.
Mothers were asked to describe how difficult their family was finding it to make ends meet, using the following categories: with great difficulty; with difficulty; with some difficulty; fairly easily; easily; and very easily.
Twice as many families said they were making ends meet with great difficulty/with difficulty at five years of age than at nine months (25pc compared to 12pc).