Why is Lone-Parent Poverty So High and What Can We Do About It? /

With the launch of the first national poverty reduction strategy this summer and an Ontario strategy due for renewal in 2019, this brief takes a closer look at the trends in lone-parent poverty, the possible drivers, and what poverty reduction strategies could do to help. [...] The poverty rate for lone-parent families in 2016 was more than double the Canadian average – almost 30 per cent of people in lone-parent families were in poverty compared to an average of 11 per cent for the Canadian population. [...] At the same time as lone-parent poverty began to fall, the employment rate of lone parents began to increase. [...] Table 14-10-0120-01 Labour force characteristics by family age composition, annual There have also been improvements in the employment earnings of lone-parent families, particularly in the mid-2000s.2 So not only did the number of lone parents in work increase, but the earnings of those in work also increased. [...] The sharp increase in employment among lone mothers in the late 1990s helped to close the gap with mothers in couples.