Why Parental Separation Can Push Their Children Into Poverty

As if breaking up with your spouse wasn’t painful enough. You still have to learn to live with less, and sometimes even much less, even if it means dragging your children with you into poverty. According to a study by the National Institute of Demographic Studies (INED) which appears this Wednesday, one in five children (21%) lived in France in 2019 below the poverty line (1,100 euros monthly per household). And the poverty rate of children whose parents had separated within the year was much higher (29%) than that of children living with both parents (13%).

“When you live alone, everything costs more. We can no longer share the rent, the cost of heating and the cost of shopping. And this fall in the standard of living is particularly evident the year after the separation, because the parents have not necessarily had the time to seek the aid to which they are entitled, ”explains Anne Solaz, researcher at INED.

An increased risk of precariousness when the children are small

The younger the children are at the time of separation, the greater the risk of poverty. Thus, more than 35% of 2-year-olds whose patents have just broken off are poor, compared to 22% of 13-year-olds. “This is explained by the fact that more parents of young children were already in a delicate situation before the breakup, probably because some mothers stop working in the first years after birth”, analyzes Anne Solaz.

Another observation: the risk of poverty is lower for children whose parents were married or in PACS compared to those whose parents lived together.

Less risk of poverty with shared custody

The mode of custody of the children after the breakup is a factor that can more or less protect them. Those who are in joint custody thus have less risk of falling into poverty than those who are in sole custody with one of the parents. A situation that can be explained by the sociology of parents opting for shared residence, because they are generally better off and often both active.

But also because public policies have adapted. Thus, since 2003, it is possible to divide the tax half-part corresponding to a child, so that each parent can benefit from it in his tax declaration. Since 2007, it has been possible to share family allowances, and since 2019, housing aid. “This mode of childcare has also been developing in France in recent years*, because the idea that parenthood must be shared has become established over time”, observes Anne Solaz.

Those who live in alternating residences may however be faced with differences in living standards: 4 out of 10 children live half the time with a parent who has a higher standard of living more than 50% to the other. “The compensatory allowance only exists in the event of divorce, and it is not systematically requested”, notes Anne Solaz.

Those who live with mom all the time are more at risk

It is when they live permanently with their mother that children are most vulnerable. Their living conditions are affected very concretely because they often live in small accommodation, have less access to leisure, receive fewer gifts, go on vacation less. “If the declines in standard of living are greater for women than for men, it is because they more often hold part-time jobs and 17% of single mothers are unemployed after a breakup, compared to 10% single fathers”, emphasizes Anne Solaz.

Another explanation: in 2019, according to the collection agency for unpaid alimony (Aripa), four out of 10 alimony were totally or partially unpaid. To fight against this scourge, since January 1, 2023, CAF has been responsible for collecting child support itself from the parent who pays the child support, and pays it directly to the beneficiary.

In-laws as saviors?

Fortunately, precariousness sometimes only lasts for a while. If the standard of living of children in the year of separation from their parents decreases by 15% on average, then by 10% the following year, it ends up rising in the following years. Especially if one or both parents get back together with another person.

Five years after the separation of their parents, a quarter of the children live with a step-parent, and their living conditions are improving as a result. A return to a better life.

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