Policy Hub
On 20 August 2008, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and the Office for Disability Issues (ODI) published new research on the experiences of disabled people with reference to rates of family formation, break up, re-partnering and having children.
The research also highlights the impact a disabled child or adult has on families in terms of employment and economic status.
Its key findings indicate that having a long term limiting illness, impairment, health problem or disability is generally associated with: a greater likelihood of remaining single; higher rates of divorce or separation; and considerable variation in the ‘marriage gap’ between disabled and non-disabled people according to age group, gender and impairment type.
Among families with children, 11% became lone parent households after a two year period when a disabled child was present, compared to 8% of those where there was no disabled child.
The risk that a family has of experiencing poverty is found to be greater the more years during which either a child or adult respondent said that they had a longstanding illness or disability. In families where child disability was reported over five consecutive years (2001 to 2005), 52% had experienced poverty during at least one year over that period. In families where no child disability was reported, over the same time period 40% had experienced poverty.
Exploring disability, family formation and break-up: reviewing the evidence (PDF)