Single moms least likely to have stable income

I wonder how long it took them stats Canada to figure this one out and how much money they wasted doing it :roll:

Single moms least likely to have stable income
Updated Fri. Oct. 20 2006 10:11 AM ET

CTV.ca News Staff

Single mothers have the least stable income among all families, according to a Statistics Canada report, which found social assistance to be the most important factor in reducing earnings instability.

Between 1999 and 2004, volatility in earnings among single mothers aged 30 to 34 was almost twice that of two-parent families with a husband in the same age group.

"Without a second adult earner, lone mothers have a limited ability to smooth the flow of earnings," Statistics Canada said.

"As well, employment and earnings increases for young lone mothers have not kept pace with their older counterparts or married mothers."

The two-decade study, part of the agency's Perspectives on Labour and Income, also found that income instability climbed for single mothers under 40 years of age between the years of 1984 to 1989 and the 1999 to 2004 period.

In contrast, two-parent families showed little signs of a general increase in income instability.

The agency also found no evidence of increasing earnings volatility among single men during the two-decade study.

However, volatility in earnings increased among all single women, but the youngest age groups.

Meanwhile, instability in income among single women was lower than that of lone moms, but higher than that of two-parent families.

"Government transfers, such as Employment Insurance, and the tax system both play roles in reducing income instability," Statistics Canada said in the report.

"However, Employment Insurance has been a more important means for unattached individuals, while social assistance has played a key role for lone mothers."

In all age groups, social assistance appeared to be the single most important factor in reducing income instability among single mothers, much more so than for two-parent families.

For example, among the youngest single mothers in the bottom third of earners, social assistance lowered income instability by 32 per cent.

"Employment Insurance was the second most important factor in mitigating instability among lone mothers in the lowest income group," the government agency found.

"Tax credits and especially family benefits also played an important role for this group."

Employment Insurance, however, played a far more important role in lowering earnings instability among single people.

"It reduced instability among unattached men in the bottom third of the income distribution by 17 per cent to 24 per cent, and among unattached women by 13 per cent to 20 per cent," the agency said.

The study, conducted for Statistics Canada between 1984 and 2004, measured earnings instability by tracking short-term fluctuations in an individual's or family's earnings around a longer-term average.

Suggesting that women either stay married or procreate with males who will stick around and not harass, violate, threaten or fail to support them is probably sexist and out of the question.

(Sarcasm -ON)
See. This is a direct result of cutting the budget of the Status of Women Canada.
:roll:

Women are not stupid. Women know that men are dogs, and they know if a guy is a committer or a quitter. Women tend to be more sexually attracted to the quitters.

If a single woman gives birth and struggles with her income, the obvious solution is to blame conservatives. Afterall, it has worked in the past, no?

I am a single mother of 4 kids. I am re educating myself to improve my income. Every single mother has options. Life is not a bottomless pit unelss we allow it to be.

I admire single Moms, it appears to be so difficult but those who do it do it well. My hats off to you Pony Girl, with an attitude like yours your girls will be "Strong Women" when they mature.

Regarding single Moms on Welfare, I'd like to see the Goverment allow them to work (part time or full time) and not deduct their earnings from their Social Assistance Cheque it would help them develope job skills and teach them independance over the long term.

All this talk of daycare needs from the governement, with the Liberal Government proposing a daycare allowance for every working family.

Families making 30 grand and up don't need that. The single moms need that. Daycare is the single most unaffordable cost that keeps single moms at home and on Welfare.

I agree Pony Girl, I would like to see the Government impliment a plan that would help them get into the work force and allow them to retain their Social Service Benifits. Why the government claws back their earnings is beyond me. In NS if you are a Welfare Recipient you can only earn $2000 a year, I think they should be allowed to earn up to $15,000 a year. Single Moms in NS earn less that $1000 a month totalling $12,000 a year, how they manage is beyond me. Combine Welfare and take home Earnings and the Single Mom's stands a fighting chance.

P.S. What are you studing?

I am in nursing school.

I don't think single moms should be able to work and keep their entire Welfare check. I think they should be able to work, and be topped up to a certain ceiling, if need be.
The idea is to get every Canadian OFF Welfare..

I shudder to think of the work load of a single mum. It's a hard, demanding, draining job and that's on the good days.

There are just so many problems with the system. Society hasn't quite figured out what it wants to do. We want native born kids; we're against abortions as first choice; we're against crime, all the while trying to get society into the twenty first century. What to do? Economic insentives? Subsidies for successful business mum's that contribute their genes to the pool? This topic seems very complex. Pointing out that it's hard being a mum and single is hardly surprising, as stated in the first post. Who's getting the bill for who?