This appears to be a major, long-term study which is already providing powerful evidence.

It is important, however, to try to distinguish between the effect of lone parenting and the effect of being poor. The section below does not make that distinction. I would expect that the original research does. Why is it important? Because some people will say, "No, it is not the lone parenting that harms. It is being poor."

Previous studies provide plenty of evidence that this is not the case (see The Welfare State We're In) but it is an issue that must always be looked out for. Actually I see the disproportionate level of lone parenting among the poor as a direct result of the welfare and housing benefits system. Richer women still - on average - gain financially from getting married. Poorer women, at least initially, do not gain from getting married. They might even lose. Financial considerations are not everything, of course, but they do influence behaviour to some extent. If this is right, then the welfare benefits system has encouraged more poor women to become lone parents. This has ultimately led to them being poorer than they otherwise would have been. The result is that their children have been both poor and in a lone parent family. The children have thus been less advantaged twice over. So in this way, the 'lone parenting' versus 'being poor' argument over how children are damaged does not matter since the welfare and housing benefits system causes both.

The finding - according to this news report - that really stands out is the one about stepchildren. They have a tendency to have even more troubles that children of lone parents. How to interpret this?

I think it possible that in a household with a lone parent, usually a mother, the child has a reasonable chance of feeling secure and settled. But if the woman remarries, the child has a new parent imposed on him or her. This new stepfather inevitably will not care so much about the children since they are not his (see The Welfare State We're In in the parenting chapter). The children will know this instinctively. The child will also have a rival for the love of the mother. Often the interests of the stepfather and the child will conflict. Yes, of course there are stepfathers who do everything they can to give love and be the best possible stepfather and such people are to be applauded. But on average it will be a difficult situation for the child with results that are shown by the study.

However there is a good thing about stepfathers: they have married the lone mother. That provides some stability. What I suspect is far worse for the child is when the lone parent has a boyfriend who lives in or, worse still, a succession of boyfriends. They have made much less commitment to the child (as well as the mother).

Researchers are tracking children’s behaviour, school choice and cognitive development as part of the on-going Millennium Cohort Study, which is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council.

Two major analyses of the data – published today – chart the impact of parenting on children born at the turn of the millennium.

In one study, researchers surveyed 13,500 mothers to gage children’s behaviour. They were asked to rate their hyperactivity, conduct, emotional problems and relationships with peers. Researchers then grouped children into three categories ranging from “normal” to “serious behavioural problems”.

It found that stepchildren and children with lone parents were most likely to be badly behaved. Fifteen per cent of stepchildren and 12 per cent of children with lone parents fell into this category, compared with six per cent living with both natural parents.

Behavioural problems were less likely among children living in families with higher levels of parental qualifications, it was disclosed.

Academics insisted further research was needed into the link between single parents and children’s behaviour.

But previous studies have found children raised by lone mothers are likely to have less economic security, less attention and guidance and more likely to live in deprived areas.

A separate analysis of the Millennium Cohort Study – based at the Institute of Education – tracked the effect of mothers’ age on children’s early development.

It found those with mothers aged under 30 had to cope with “far more upheaval than other children during their first seven years”.

Four in 10 children with younger mothers experienced a significant family change, such as the arrival of a stepfather, compared with only 13 per cent of youngsters with mothers aged 40 and over.

The full story is here.

Posted by James Bartholomew • Indexed in Parenting • Welfare benefits

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