Traditional 'breadwinner' families more likely to be in poverty

The two new reports, published by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and carried out by the IPPR and NatCen, reveal that almost a third of traditional ‘breadwinner’ families are living in poverty.

Families in poverty are referred to as households that have a weekly income of up to £251. Income is calculated as total equalised net disposable income before housing costs.

According to the reports, the majority (40 per cent) of sole breadwinner couples comprise  a man in work and a female partner who stays at home to care for children. Many of the fathers work in routine/manual or intermediate jobs, not attracting high wages.

These families tend to have a youngest child below the age of five and are more likely to be older than other families in poverty, have more children and therefore bigger homes with higher costs.

The report by the IPPR says that for families with pre-school children, the availability of affordable childcare is one of the most important determinants of whether the mother will decide to work.

It goes on to say that the Government’s move to reduce the level of support available to families through the tax credit system is damaging work incentives for mothers in low-income families.

The IPPR concludes by calling for a range of measures to enable more families to have both partners in work. They include: