Children in one-parent families and those in private rented housing are less likely to be able to pursue hobbies such as swimming or go on an annual one-week holiday than their peers in two-parent families who own their home, according to research from the Central Statistics Office (CSO).
One in eight (12 per cent) single-parent households were unable to afford regular leisure activities such as swimming, playing an instrument or youth organisation membership for their children, compared with 4.3 per cent of two-parent households, the study published on Thursday finds.
Overall, more than one in six (18 per cent) Irish households with children could not afford a one-week holiday for their children, but this rate increases to 33 per cent for children in single-parent households.
“When analysed by the number of parents in the household, one in three single-parent households could not afford a seven-day holiday for their children, more than double the rate for two-parent households (14 per cent),” says the CSO.
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Looking at household tenure type, it says: “One in three (33.2 per cent) households in rented accommodation could not afford a one-week holiday for their children, four times higher than the rate for owner-occupied households (8.6 per cent).”
The findings are taken from a module in the annual Survey on Income and Living Conditions (SILC) report, which was published on Thursday.
It finds more than half (55 per cent) of households with no working adult – whether due to unemployment, long-term illness or disability – could afford a one-week holiday for their children, compared with one in four (26 per cent) of households with one working adult and 10 per cent of those with two working adults.
The SILC survey data are collected by the CSO from households using computer-assisted interviews and data collection. These latest data were gathered in 2023.
Asked about ability to afford a regular leisure activity for their children, 6 per cent of households said they could not afford this. However, one in four (25 per cent) households where there was no working adult could afford it, compared with 8 per cent where one adult was working and 3 per cent where two were.
“A higher percentage of households without an Irish-born parent (17 per cent) reported that they could not afford leisure activities for their children when compared with households with at least one Irish-born parent (2 per cent).”
Parents were asked about their ability to afford new – as opposed to second-hand – clothes for their children. In 2023, 2.5 per cent of households with children could not afford this.
“Looking at the impact of tenure status on this ... shows that households in rented accommodation were more likely to be deprived of new clothes when compared with owner-occupied households – 5.6 per cent versus 0.6 per cent,” it says.
On school trips and school events, almost 2 per cent of households could not afford these for their children. Among single-parent households the rate was 10times higher (6.2 per cent) than for two-parent families (0.6 per cent).
Across the population one in 50 households with children reported not being able to afford to invite their children’s friends to play or eat occasionally.
“Households with no working adult were more likely to be unable to afford this activity at 7 per cent of such households, compared with 0.5 per cent of those with two working adults.”
