Sandra Buchler, University of Queensland - Has Anything Changed for Sole Parents? Two Decades of Evidence from HILDA

Title:   Has Anything Changed for Sole Parents? Two Decades of Evidence from HILDA

Abstract: Sole parent families, which primarily comprise households headed by women, are one of the most disadvantaged groups within Australia today, despite significant policy and legal reform since the turn of the century. Drawing on 24 waves of HILDA data, this talk presents two studies tracing sole parents' economic circumstances and wellbeing, and the gender division of childcare between separated parents. The first finds that sole parents are considerably more disadvantaged than two-parent families, with their wellbeing and economic outcomes worsening in both absolute and relative terms over the past two decades, a decline that coincided with income support reforms enacted just after the turn of the century. The second finds modest movement toward gender equity in post-separation care, but progress has been slow and uneven. Together, these findings point to the persistence of gendered disadvantage as a challenge yet to be met by family law and social policy.

Presenter: Sandra Buchler, University of Queensland

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