Two recent reports published in November 2024 address the continuous decline in living standard and basic supports for one-parent families in Ireland.

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul‘s Research Centre report, supported by the Department of Social Protection, on Minimum Essential Standard of Living gives an overview of the impact of Budget 2025  across a number of metrics, such as housing shortage and homelessness, energy poverty, social and income supports. Several social categories and household types, such as one-parent and, respectively, two-parent households with two school-age children, are covered in detail.
The report also assesses “which changes to incomes and services protect the real value of supports in the context of changes to living costs, and forecasting if progress will be made towards enabling a socially acceptable minimum standard of living in the coming year” in Ireland.

References to one-parent households with children highlight the key negative impacts affecting members of these families, and the evident gaps in addressing housing costs and childcare expenses:

  • Income Adequacy: Many one-parent households experience persistent income inadequacy, and are unable to meet the Minimum Essential Standard of Living (MESL) requirements.
  • Child Poverty: Specific measures are needed to reduce child poverty, especially in single-parent families, where it is disproportionately high.

While the report notes some improvements in welfare and income supports, it recommends the implementation of enhanced supports for low-income, lone-parent families, such as targeted welfare increases and affordable childcare.

Read the full report here:

MESL SVP ReportDownload

The Ireland country report (pages 93–97) in the “Children’s Realities in Europe: Progress & Gaps Eurochild 2024 report on children in need across Europe” outlines persistent child poverty challenges, despite some improvements in social welfare measures. The report stresses the need for enhanced housing supports and affordable childcare in Ireland. It discusses the effects of income inadequacy on children’s wellbeing and education and recommends targeted welfare increases, better access to services, and policy reforms to systemic barriers for vulnerable families, and one-parent families in particular.

Read the Ireland country report here:

Eurochild report IrelandDownload

A prominent, long-term study entitled Lone parent transitions, employment transitions and poverty outcomes, published in October 2024 by The Economic and Social Research Institute study, in collaboration with the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth in Ireland, found that lone parenthood significantly increases economic vulnerability, which is measured by low income, material deprivation, and financial stress. Using data from the Growing Up in Ireland study (2008–2017), it highlights that lone parents face prolonged economic challenges compared to two-parent families. Key findings in the report highlight that around half of lone parents receive no maintenance from their former partner, 9% of two parent families become lone parent families, who are then faced with a higher risk of economic vulnerability.

Read the report here:

RS193Download

Another report launched in December 2024 by the The European Anti-Poverty Network (EAPN) Ireland, the 2024 Poverty Watch Ireland stated that “one in five (19.2%) lone-parent households were at risk of poverty” in 2023. In 2024, Ireland “is characterised by a weak care infrastructure, with a high reliance on private or familial care rather than a public system of care. This has led to primarily female lone parents being disproportionately at risk of poverty.”

Read the report here