DWP figures show two in five single parents are living in poverty: 'It's a terrible situation'

Figures released by the government reveal 4.5 million children are living in poverty – the highest number on record. As the founder of the campaign group Single Parent Rights, I regularly hear from parents struggling to make ends meet. This isn’t surprising when children in single parent families face a 43% poverty rate, compared to 26% of their peers in two parent families. 

Things look set to get worse as the disability welfare cuts announced in the chancellor’s Spring Statement will plunge 50,000 more children into absolute poverty by 2029-30. Single parent families are once again likely to bear the brunt of these brutal cuts given rates of adult disability in single parent families are double that of two parent families. 

While ending child poverty isn’t simple, the first step is clear: create a fairer social security system by removing the two-child limit and the benefit cap. Since April 2017, every third (or subsequent) child has been excluded from means-tested social security payments. 

• There’s no quick fix for single parent poverty but there is a clear first step – Labour must take it
• Child poverty hits new record high – before Labour benefit cuts will push 50,000 more into hardship

Jane*, from Wales, and her four children are just one of the 440,000 families impacted by this. She says: “Despite always prioritising my children’s needs and going without myself, the money just doesn’t stretch far enough. If the government says that amount of money should provide for two children, how is it also expected to provide for four children?

“I didn’t expect to become a single mother but unfortunately these things aren’t always in our control. I feel sad that my children have had to go without things that other families take for granted. This country makes it very difficult for women and children, who are very often the ones left struggling after the breakdown of a family.”

The two-child limit isn’t the only policy pushing families into poverty. The benefit cap is an overall limit on both means-tested benefits and child benefit imposed on families earning below £793 a month. For those on zero-hour contracts or parents who must take unpaid sick leave for their child, meeting this earnings threshold to avoid the cap is a struggle, especially for single parents who must alone earn the same as a couple. The result: 69% of households affected by the cap are single parents.  

Claire*, a single mother to three children – the youngest just five months old – is one of the 114,00 families affected. Claire’s statutory maternity pay doesn’t meet the benefit cap threshold, meaning she’s lost £400 of support while her rent has increased to £1,200 a month. For Claire, it’s pointless to apply for child benefit for her youngest as the additional money will fall within the cap. 

Like any mother, Claire has tried to find a way around the situation. She hoped that taking on cleaning work with her mother would enable her to meet the earnings threshold. However, she’s been told she’s prohibited from working while on maternity leave. 

“The whole universal credit process has put me into debt,” explains Claire. “How can any of this make sense and be fair? I’m sure there are thousands of people across the UK in the same boat as I am. The feeling of being completely at their will when it comes to money whilst I cannot work is awful.”

Claire’s mother Sally, who is helping the family where she can, said: “For people on maternity, they are stuck – they aren’t allowed to work more because they are on maternity. Claire is left with £200 to live off a month. It’s a terrible situation, and there’s no way round it.”

The government doesn’t publish data on the number of single parents on maternity leave affected by the cap, but the latest statistics reveal that 12% of single parents affected have a child under one. 

The government has been under sustained pressure to revoke the two-child limit and the benefit cap since coming to power in July last year. Children’s charities and others are unanimous in their calls to remove them both. It would transform the lives of over 600,000 children, lifting them out of absolute poverty and reducing stress and financial pressures on their parents. 

Dan Paskins, executive director of policy, advocacy and campaigns at Save the Children UK, said: “The rise in child poverty is a direct consequence of political choices. Ministers may have inherited these figures from past UK governments, but they must now take immediate action to ensure more children do not fall into poverty next year.

“If they don’t, this could be the first Labour government that oversees a significant rise in child poverty – a record no one wants. The two-child limit and benefit cap must be scrapped, and child related benefits locked to rise in line with wages or average earnings, whichever of the two is higher.”

For the parents I hear from at Single Parent Rights, the two-child limit and the benefit cap are often at the heart of their financial struggles. These policies sever the link between a family’s needs and the support they receive. In single parent families – with only one parent to juggle care and paid work – the risk of being impacted is even greater. 

The original intention of these policies was to motivate people to work, yet most families affected by the two-child limit are already in work, and the majority of those impacted by the benefit cap face significant employment barriers that aren’t being addressed. This shows starkly in the figure of 40% of single parents affected by the cap having a child under three. 

The government can no longer ignore the impact of these policies. The child poverty strategy, due to be published this spring, must restore the vital link between a family’s needs and the support they receive. This requires scrapping the two-child limit and the benefit cap and creating a social security system that responds to the realities of single parents. Without such action, this government will preside over an historic rise in child poverty rates with children from single parent families facing the greatest impact.

* Names have been changed to protect the mothers’ identities.

Ruth Talbot is the founder of campaign group Single Parent Rights.

Do you have a story to tell or opinions to share about this? Get in touch and tell us more. Big Issue exists to give homeless and marginalised people the opportunity to earn an income. To support our work buy a copy of the magazine or get the app from the App Store or Google Play.

Big Issue is demanding an end to extreme poverty. Will you ask your MP to join us?