1. Executive Summary
Between 2001 and 2021, Canadian lone-parent families – defined as a family with one parent and at least one child who live in the same dwelling – experienced substantial shifts in their financial wellbeing. This report includes an analysis of the economic status of lone-parent families over a 21-year period, focusing on income trends, low-income statistics, and sources of income, including market income, government transfers, and support payments. There is also an analysis of the financial wellbeing of Indigenous, disabled, and immigrant lone parents. Key findings include:
- The median after-tax income of lone-parent families was consistently higher than persons not in a census family but lower than couple families (with or without children) between 2001 and 2021.
- Compared to other family types, lone-parent families experienced the greatest proportional increase in median total after-tax family income.
- The proportion of lone-parent families living in low income decreased between 2001 and 2021, representing the largest decrease among all family types.
- Similar to trends observed among women more generally, female lone-parent families consistently earned less than their male counterparts. However, female lone parents saw a proportionally higher income growth over the 21-year period.
- Compared to other income sources, lone parents’ median market income saw the largest proportional increase.
- Government transfers to supplement income were particularly vital to lone parents’ financial well-being during nation-wide economic downturns, such as the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic when many people lost their employment. Government support payments, including the Universal Child Care Benefit (UCCB) and the Canada Child Benefit (CCB), were likely one contributing factor in the decrease observed among lone-parent families living in low income.
- The median yearly spousal and child support payment received by lone-parent families remained unchanged between 2012 and 2022 when taking the rising Consumer Price Index into consideration. In 2022, male and female lone parents received the same median yearly support payments for spousal and child support.
- Not all lone-parent families experienced the same improvement in their financial well-being. Indigenous, disabled, and certain racialized immigrant lone-parent families experienced distinct forms of economic disadvantage and were more likely to be living in low income compared to their non-Indigenous, non-disabled and non-racialized immigrant counterparts.
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