Couples with kids vs single parent

shillelagh · 06-05-2008, 12:46

Couples with children 'have to work THREE TIMES as hard as single mothers to stay above the poverty line', claims report | the Daily Mail

According to this a couple has to work 3 times more hours than a single parent to get the same income.

Is this fair?

I dont think it is. Ok i dont have kids and im not married but i still dont think thats fair that the couple have to work 48 hours to a single parents 16 to get the same income.

Lolly · 06-05-2008, 12:58

I'm a sigle parent, I get Tax Credits but still have to work 35 hours a week to get by.

emamum · 06-05-2008, 13:00

couple might have to work 3 times as hard to get the same income but single parents have to work 3 times as hard at home......

emzy · 06-05-2008, 13:02

But in the hours they are saying a couple has to work means that one of them is full time and the other is part time / less. If they had no kids, they would probably both be working full time and not get government handouts and would be no better off

onlyme · 06-05-2008, 16:12

What a load of tosh!!!

Trust me, as a single parent who has her last day at work today (redundant incidentally before i get accused of owt else), I have been told what I am entitled to and it is a joke.

I know which I'd prefer

jaysay · 06-05-2008, 16:46

I think the statement Lies, Damn Lies and statstics applies here

emamum · 06-05-2008, 16:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by jaysay

I think the statement Lies, Damn Lies and statstics applies here

Dont worry jaysay 90% of statistics are made up anyway.

pipinfort · 06-05-2008, 17:03

Only 90%.............?

blazey · 06-05-2008, 17:19

I don't think this is true at all, but it would take a hell of a lot of time and effort to find the true statistics, as I am pretty sure that the true statistics aren't readily available!

It's very rarely I meet a nuclear family struggling more than those from single parent families that I know though. It seems the families that miss out most on government help are those that are earning above average salaries but have numerous children to support rather than just one or two. That's just from my own personal observations though.

It all depends on a persons career though and their lifestyle choices in my opinion.

BERNADETTE · 06-05-2008, 17:39

Would be interesting to hear what a couple on low income have to say about this. As the article reads it does seem to be biased towards single parents.

harwood red · 06-05-2008, 17:49

but a couple on low income would be entitled to working tax credits so don't know how this bears out

Gayle · 06-05-2008, 17:53

This is another example of the Daily Mail - they're trying to frighten their core Tory market by telling them how poor they all are under Labour!!!!

The only thing that really concerns me about all this is that Shillelagh reads the Daily Mail!!!

emzy · 06-05-2008, 17:53

When I was married I didnt struggle for money no-where near as much as I do now as a single parent

BERNADETTE · 06-05-2008, 17:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by emzy

When I was married I didnt struggle for money no-where near as much as I do now as a single parent

I understand what you are saying and don't think this is any way a reflection on single parents. It does however seem unfair that a single parent only needs to work sixteen hours before getting top up benefits and a couple have to work forty eight hours to be entitled to same benefits.

lancsdave · 06-05-2008, 17:59

Not sure how it affects those on minimum wage but I know when we started living together the net result was around a £50 reduction than the income we had as separate households.

It's a very poor report which basically highlights certain financial issues but which fails to highlight a hell of a lot of practical issues faced by single parents. Probably a quiet news day.