Single Parent Rights

Please note that the Single Parent Rights campaign now has a dedicated website at www.singleparentrights.org Please visit the website for the most upto date information on the campaign and details of how you can get involved.

This page provides an overview of the campaign for equality for single parents and covers the following areas:

• Why is a campaign for single parent equality needed?
• What is the Single Parent Rights’ campaign calling for?
• What will be the benefits?
• What discrimination do single parents face?
• How can I get involved in the campaign or learn more?
• Which organisations support the campaign?
• Has the campaign featured in the media?
• What are others saying about the campaign?
• I’m from the media and want to know more.
• Frequently Asked Questions.
• Campaign Overview Infographic.

Why is a campaign for single parent equality needed?

Single parents face discrimination throughout their daily lives, from the workplace to accessing housing. This has knock on effects for them, their children and society as a whole.

The Equality Act, 2010 outlaws discrimination towards certain groups who are deemed to have ‘protected characteristics’. Currently, there are nine protected characteristics: age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation. Although a natural corollary to many of the current protected characteristics, single parenthood is not included which means despite the challenges single parents face, invariably through no fault of their own, employers, businesses and policy makers aren’t encouraged to proactively consider how they treat single parents and where unfair treatment occurs, it cannot be legally challenged.

Many single parents face multiple discrimination given 90% are women, around 27% live with a disability (compared with 21% of couple parent households), and black and mixed ethnicities communities have higher numbers of single parents compared with white communities.

If you want to know more about the legal side, this post provides more details.

What is the Single Parent Rights’ campaign calling for?

We are calling on the UK government to add single parents as a tenth protected characteristic to the Equality Act, 2010.

What will be the benefits?

• greater single parent employment for those applying for roles;
• better working conditions, professional support and career development for those in employment;
• reduced reliance on benefits;
• greater disposable income for single parents to spend in society;
• more stable and decent housing for single parent families;
• better mental health for single parents;
• lower poverty levels for children of single parents; and
• better outcomes for the children of single parents.

What discimination do single parents face?

• In the workplace when it comes to recruitment, professional development and promotion;
• In housing, specifically accessing private rental properties, especially for those who rely on housing benefit;
• In child benefit calculations: a couple earning £98,000 combined will receive full child benefit for one child, whilst a single parent on £60,000 will receive no child benefit for two children;
• In childcare vouchers systems with couples able to access double the amount of vouchers of single parents where both are working, regardless of the actual amount they spend on childcare;
• In Universal Credit childcare payments;
• In support and adaptations required for a disabled child to live safely in both homes where care is shared, see Pete’s story in Single Parents Campaigning for Change;
• Entrance fees at tourist attractions are often higher per person for single parent families than couple families. At the National Trust single parents pay 25% more per adult compared with a couple family;
• Membership fees e.g. for birthing/ parenting classes are often the same for single parents as for a couple under the claim that the second parent is ‘free’;
• In inheritance tax a child(ren) of a couple in effect has double the threshold compared to the child(ren) of a single parent;
• In the costs of holidays; and
• In government and business policies and rules during the Coronavirus lockdown 2020.

How can I get involved in the campaign or learn more?

There are three key campaign actions:

1. Sign and share the petition
2. Write to your MP (template letter available in this post) and let us know who you’ve emailed at singleparentrights@gmail.com so we can follow up with them for a response
3. Share your stories of discrimination with us; complete the single parent rights survey here.

This blog post gives more details on the three key campaign actions.

If you talk about the campaign on social media please use the hashtag #SingleParentRights so we can see what you’re doing and support your voices too.

To keep up to date with campaign news and actions on single parent rights, you can follow me on facebook here, on twitter @EllamentalMama and Instagram: @ellamental_mama

You can email the campaign on singleparentrights@gmail.com

You can also download one of our campaign documents below depending on whether you are an organisation or an individual.

Which organisations support the campaign?

• Single Parents Wellbeing;
• Single Parents Support and Advice Services;
• One Parent Families Scotland;
• Save the Children, UK;
• Asian Single Parents Network;
• Frolo app;
• Parenthood Matters;
• Single Mums Business Network;
• The Childhood Trust;
• Single Parents on Holiday;
• Career Mums;
• Talented Ladies Club;
• Amicable;
• Happity; and
• Mush.

We are a new campaign and engaging campaign partners all the time. If you are part of a campaigning/ rights organisation and want to back the campaign please get in touch.

Has the campaign featured in the media?

Yes! We have been featured on TV, print media and radio. Here I am speaking on Channel 4 news, I’ve also spoken on Five Live Radio and LBC News. Below are links to the campaign in the Guardian and iNews.

• After I wrote to Dominic Cummings we got support bubbles – now I want single parent’s rights enshirined in law
• Single Parents Campaigning for Change
• My Letter To Dominic Cummings

What are others saying about the campaign?

Kevin Watkins, CEO of Save the Children, UK, had this to say, “Nobody should be subjected to discrimination. To discriminate against single parents who already face practical, emotional and financial challenges in raising their child single-handedly, is an unthinkable cruelty. Single parent families are a vulnerable group at greater risk of living in poverty and suffering from poor mental wellbeing than other parents.”

Marion Davis, Head of Policy and Strategy at One Parent Families Scotland, had this to say, “OPFS fully supports the ‘Single Parent Rights’ campaign which calls on the UK government to add single parents as a tenth protected characteristic to the Equality Act, 2010. It is an injustice that single parent discrimination cannot be legally challenged because this is not illegal under UK law. While the Equality Act 2010 prohibits discrimination because of certain personal attributes and characteristics for example age, disability, race, marriage and civil partnership – single parents are excluded. Single parents who often face unfounded judgemental attitudes should be considered as a unique group and protected by the law from discrimination.”

Rachel Cule, founder and director of Single Parent Wellbeing, had this to say, “As a single parent and co-founder of Single Parents Wellbeing, I am campaigning for single parents to be protected under the Equality Act. Single parents are more likely to suffer with mental health issues compared to married couples which can occur due to not being treated equally, especially in places such as the workplace. Single parents need to protected like other vulnerable groups. We at Single Parent Wellbeing are proud to support this campaign.” 

Nicola Booth, founder of Single Parent Support and Advice Services, had this to say, “I have been fighting for single parents to get more support and be treated equally for over eight years and fully back this campaign. Single parents should not be discriminated against, single parents are truly inspiring and doing an amazing job!”

Julie Hawkins, founder of Single Mums Business Network, had this to say, “I am happy to support the Single Parent Rights’ campaign. For far too long we have suffered adversity as a direct result of being the unrecognised minority group and we pay a hefty price for parenting solo. I was campaigning similarly but the strength comes from working together and supporting each other, rather than trying to keep fighting solo! The Single Parent Rights’ campaign has my full support and no doubt that of my members.”

Aruna Bansal, Founder of Asian Single Parents Network, had this to say, “We are happy to support a campaign that promotes the equal treatment of single parents in so many different aspects of everyday life. Being a single parent is such a struggle anyway, without the added differences that they often experience and have no choice but to endure.”

Laurence Guinness, Chief Executive of The Childhood Trust, had this to say, “Being a parent is one of life’s most important responsibilities which is why single parents must be granted protected status in law to stop the appalling levels of discrimination and hardship currently suffered by so many single parent families.”

Andrea Robinson, CEO of Single Parents on Holiday, had this to say, “As a former single parent and co-founder of Single Parents on Holiday, I am happy to support a campaign that protects, nurtures and supports single parent families. Single parents often have to work twice as hard to create a stable and happy home for their children, not least due to lack of government support and inequality in the workplace, which can lead to, or exacerbate, financial hardship and mental health issues. Protecting this vulnerable group under the law would be a step in the right direction.”

Zoe Desmond, founder of Frolo app, had this to say about the campaign, “In order for one-parent families to thrive they need to be acknowledged as just as valid, loving, and nurturing as two-parent families, and they need equality in the eyes of the law. It’s so inspiring to see frolos in the community fight for the rights of other single parents and we’re very proud to support the campaign.”

Kate Daly, co-founder of Amicable, had this to say, “Every family has the right to flourish whatever its make up. A society that discriminates against single-parent families is unjust and should be challenged. amicable is a pioneer of social justice having won our own high court battle promoting access to justice. We‘re very proud and determined to lend our voice to this campaign to ensure the lives of single parents are made easier not harder, removing stigma and challenging discrimination it all its forms.”

Emily Tredget, co-founder of Happity, had this to say, “I cofounded Happity as a result of struggling with loneliness which for me resulted in post-natal depression, and my co-founder Sara is passionate about flexible working – areas we are passionate about improving. Both of these issues are of even more importance for single parents, and so we are delighted to support this campaign. Mental health is hard enough with a partner to lean on, I can only imagine how much harder this is as a single parent. We need the Government to recognise the difficulties single parents face, and put in place support to help, so that both parents today and the next generations to come maintain good mental wellness.”

Bethan Jones, co-founder of Parenthood Matters, had this to say, “As a co founder of parenthood matters and a single parent to a small baby, I am proud to say that Parenthood Matters supports equality amongst single parents and will fight against single parent discrimination alongside the Single Parent Rights campaign”.

Katie Massie-Taylor, CEO from Mush, had this to say, “Mush supports all mums to be the happiest and most confident they can be and we believe they need to have equal rights regardless of relationship status.”

I’m from the media and want to know more.

Email the campaign team on singleparentrights@gmail.com for a media pack.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do single parents need protected characteristic status?

Single parents are often treated differently because of their single parent status. This places them at a disadvantage to others, in terms of employment, accessing housing and financial resources. Most other groups who are treated differently due to personal characteristics, such as married people, women and people with different religious beliefs, are protected from discrimination by law. Single parents are not protected this way meaning the discrimination continues unabated. In turn, this discrimination affects the mental health, physical wellbeing and financial resources of single parents and has a huge impact on their children. Until the discrimination is outlawed, it will continue to impact single parents and their children.

Isn’t discrimination towards single parents covered under the ‘sex’ characteristic of the equality act?

In simple terms, no.

Whilst some aspects of discrimination that single parents face are due to being the primary carer for their children and this can be considered sex discrimination under the law as it currently stands (for single mothers), this is not always the case. In addition to being disproportionally affected by the discrimination that all parents, especially mothers face, single parents face discrimination based purely on their status as a single parent. For example, when up against other parents in a job they are often viewed as less flexible compared to the other parents. In government benefit rules they face lower household limits on accessing certain benefits and tax exemptions. In pricing structures for memberships, attractions and holidays they are charged more. In terms of lockdown policies they are excluded from exceptions such as the plus one rule and the rule in some health boards that only partners from the same household are allowed at maternity appointments.

Single parents are a specific vulnerable group within the parenting community and they require protected characteristic status to ensure the daily discrimination is stopped.

It should also be noted that ten per cent of single parents are men and they are in no way immune from single parent discrimination but this can play out differently to the discrimination faced by single mothers.

Shouldn’t single parents be given additional rights given the additional challenges they face?

Currently single parents are not on an equal footing with their married counterparts. we are campaigning for equality first and foremost. In reality single parents face challenges which could mean they require additional support. This is something we will be looking into once we have secured equal rights for single parents.

Won’t adding single parents to the Equality Act mean lots of other groups call to be added to the Act too?

Most vulnerable groups are already protected in the Equality Act. The three other groups who are also pushing for protected characteristic are single people, parents and people from low socio-economic background. Given the close connection between single parents and these other groups, we support the incorporation of those groups within the Equality Act and believe this can be done by amending ‘married’ to marital status, and adding parental responsibility to the ‘maternity’ characteristic. Single parents need to be protected in the Equality Act as a specific protected characteristic to protect them against the very specific discrimination they face.

How can you legislate for a group where the characteristic can change? i.e. people move in and out of single parenthood at different times in their lives.

A number of other characteristics also fluctuate over time, including religious belief, being married/ in a civil partnership and disability.

Relationships are complex, how would people ‘prove’ their single parent characteristic?

This law change is being advocated for as a way to prevent discrimination towards single parents. Single parents turning to the law for compensation where discrimination has occurred would be a last resort. By encouraging policy makers and businesses to consider how a single parent might be affected by certain rules and regulations, individuals do not need to prove their status. That would only need to happen in the case of a legal complaint against a company/ institution.

In such cases, the protected characteristic would work in a similar way to the protected characteristic of ‘disability’ where the onus is on the individual to prove their ‘status’. Proving single parent status could be done in a number of ways depending on the individuals circumstances e.g. electoral roll, single person council tax benefit, letters from children’s school/ childcare setting, universal credits account or child tax and working tax credits awards. Proving the unfair treatment would differ on a case by case basis as with any incident of discrimination.

I’m a single parent and I’ve never faced discrimination so why should I support this campaign?

It’s great to hear there are single parents out there who haven’t experienced direct discrimination. However, unfortunately this isn’t the case for the majority of single parents. Single parents who have young children and work with unsupportive employees are more likely to be affected, as are single parents who rely on private rental properties to house their family. Many single parents may simply have never considered systemic discrimination such as higher prices per adult for single parent homes compared with couples, or lower household thresholds for child benefit rules, as discrimination, but legally speaking these rules do treat single parent households differently.

As with all forms of discrimination, other characteristics can intersect to create multiple forms of discrimination. So, for example, a black single mother is likely to experience discrimination differently to a white single parent. This is also the case for single parents living with disabilities. So again, depending on an individual’s background they may be exposed to less/ no discrimination but this isn’t the case for all single parents.

We hope that everyone will get behind the Single Parent Rights campaign whether you’re a single parent or not, and whether you’ve experienced direct discrimination or not.

But aren’t you covered under the ‘marital status’ characteristic of the Equality Act?

The ‘marital status’ characteristic of the Equality Act as it is sometimes referred to is actually not for marital status. This characteristic is for being married or in a civil partnership. Therefore anyone who is single, divorced or widowed will not be covered by this characteristic. We believe this is unfair to those of other marital status who experience discrimination and are asking for this to be changed.

Campaign Overview Infographic

If you have a question or comment on the campaign please leave it below and we will endeavor to answer it.

If you are interested in hearing more from me or the campaign, you can follow my blog on facebook. Just go to my page here and give me a like to stay up to date with my latest blogs.  I’m also available on twitter @EllamentalMama and Instagram: @Ellamental_Mama

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