One in eight Rugby babies born to single parents

Single parent charity Gingerbread said lone parents still face some stigma, but that recent reports debunk the idea that having only one parents can negatively impact children.

Office for National Statistics figures show that 94 babies were registered by just one parent.

A further 53 had two parents living at different homes.

That’s a total of 147 children being raised by single parents in 2017 – 12 per cent of the births in Rugby.

Across England, 52 per cent of babies were registered by parents who were married or in a same-sex civil partnerships, in line with the average for the UK.

In Rugby, it was 55 per cent.

Rosie Ferguson, chief executive of Gingerbread, said single parents’ aspirations for their children may be thwarted by circumstances out of their control.

She said: “The majority of single parents work, but many are still locked out of the secure, flexible employment opportunities they need in order to provide for their children.

“Low-paid and insecure jobs, as well as the lack of affordable childcare, mean that some single parents struggle to put food on the table for their children.

“The Government must work with Jobcentres, employers and childcare providers to ensure that work genuinely provides a route out of poverty.

“We need to strengthen the system of support for single parents.”

There were 385 babies born to couples who were living together but not married.

When counted alongside those who are married or in a civil partnership, it means that 88 per cent of babies in Rugby were born to a family with two parents at home.

In 2017, there were 1,185 births, 592 boys and 593 girls. Out of those, 27 were born at home.