Single mothers 'choose a lifestyle on benefits'

Single mothers are living a "lifestyle choice" and enjoying state benefits "encouraging young mothers not to bother" having a male live-in partner or husband, new research is claims. A growing proportion of women are choosing to rely on state benefits according to research presented to the Centre for Policy Studies.

Sociologist Geoff Dench, who presented the findings, said the proportion of lone mothers has risen from 10 per cent to 25 per cent in the past 20 years. And at the same time there was a significant change in the characteristics of lone motherhood.

In the 1980s a lone mother typically had separated from a partner after some years of marriage or cohabitation. Now, a growing proportion have never been in a co-resident relationship, said Mr Dench.

But Department for Work and Pensions Minister Helen Goodman said: "This is outdated, prejudiced nonsense. More than 80 per cent of lone parents tell us that they want to work and 645,000 have been helped into work since 1998."