6224.0.55.001 - Labour Force, Australia: Labour Force Status and Other Characteristics of Families, Jun 2012 Quality Declaration 
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 01/05/2013   
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Contents >> One Parent Families

ONE PARENT FAMILIES

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ONE PARENT FAMILIES

In June 2012, there were 961 thousand one parent families, making up 15% of all families. About two-thirds of these one parent families (67%) had dependants living with them.

There were 780 thousand single mother families in June 2012, making up the vast majority of one parent families (81%).

Graph: one parent families by employment status by age of youngest child
* One parent family with 15 to 24 years dependent student
** One parent family without dependents, but with children 15 years or over


ONE PARENT FAMILIES WITH DEPENDANTS

In June 2012, there were 641 thousand one parent families with dependants, and most (84%) were single mother families. In half (50%) of one parent families with dependants, the age of the youngest child was between 0 and 9 years old.

The parent was employed in 58% of one parent families with dependants in June 2012. There were 72% of single fathers employed compared with 55% of single mothers. Employment among single parents generally increased as the age of the youngest dependant increased, with 34% of single parent families whose youngest dependant was under 5 years old having an employed parent, compared with 70% whose youngest dependant was 15-24 years old.

Graph: one parent families by employment status by sex by age of youngest child
* One parent family with 15 to 24 years dependent student
** One parent family without dependents, but with children 15 years or over



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