Legal News

New figures obtained from the EU data organisation Eurostat show that Britain has more single parent families than any other EU country, apart from Latvia in Eastern Europe.

The Daily Mail reports that the data obtained by pro-marriage group The Marriage Foundation show that in 2012, children in the UK were more likely to be born into a single-parent family than any other country in Western Europe, with 24% of children in Britain living in a family with just one parent.

Across Europe, one in six children is likely to have a single mother or father – in Britain this rises to nearly one in four children.

The rise in the number of children being brought up by lone parents is being attributed to the popularity of co-habiting as opposed to couples marrying – as well as an increase in the breakdown of the family unit.

Marriage Foundation campaigners Harry and Kate Benson are calling on MPs to do more to encourage couples to marry and remain together.

Since 2010, the number of lone parents bringing up children has risen by nearly 3% in Britain – in France, Ireland and Denmark the number of one- parent families fell, while other EU member states experienced a smaller increase in single-parent families.

Latvia has in recent years seen a dramatic rise in the number of divorces with the result that there are now more lone parents bringing up children there.

In the UK, divorce rates have been falling – but co-habiting couples have a higher incidence of separation, leaving one partner to bring up any children from the relationship. Co-habiting in Britain has also increased in popularity in recent years.

Harry Benson of the Marriage Foundation told the Daily Mail:

“While most lone parents do an amazing job with fewer resources, few have chosen lone parenthood as their lifestyle choice.

“Our research clearly shows that, in the UK’s case and that of other countries in Western Europe, this rising rate of lone parenthood is a symptom not of a rising divorce rate – but instead by the meteoric rise in the numbers of children brought up by unmarried parents.”

Duncan Lewis Children Lawyers

Duncan Lewis is a leading firm of children lawyers and can advise on a wide range of childcare matters, including child contact and residence and ancillary payments in the event of divorce, judicial separation or breakdown in a co-habiting relationship.

Duncan Lewis is a leading firm of Legal Aid solicitors and can also advise on:

• Care proceedings
• Child abuse
• Children taken into Local Authority care
• Co-habiting agreements
• Court of Protection
• Divorce
• Domestic violence
• Judicial separation
• Pre-nuptial agreements
• Wills and Trusts.

For expert legal advice on childcare law, call Duncan Lewis children lawyers on 020 7923 4020.