Tackling child poverty delivery plan: fourth year progress report 2021-2022 - focus report on households with mothers aged 25 or under

Conclusions

Households where the mother is aged 25 or under are at a higher risk of living in poverty. Over half (55%) of children in households with a mother aged under 25 were in relative poverty in 2015-18, compared to 24% of children overall. This is notably higher than for any of our other priority family groups, all of whom are also at higher risk of poverty.

There are specific challenges mothers under 25 have to face.

• The ability to raise income from employment is limited for many mothers under 25. They have had less time to build experience and progress in their career before becoming a parent and importantly, the National Living Wage is not enforced until the employee is at least 23 years old. This is reflected in lower paid jobs and more volatile incomes. The younger the mother, the more likely they are to be in a disadvantaged position when compared to their older peers.
• Furthermore, the generosity of some social security benefits for the under 25s is lower than for older age groups (for example, standard Universal Credit allowance and rates for Local Housing Allowance). In addition, sanctions and conditionality of the tax system have been found to affect young people disproportionately.
• Young people are often more financially vulnerable than older people. They have had less time to build on savings, and to learn and develop experience in managing finances or navigating complex social security systems.
• Stigma. There is a range of common stereotypes that surround young mothers which can strongly influence their experiences. There is an inclination to assume that they may have become pregnant by accident, or that they lack ability and/or motivation to gain qualifications and employment. It may go without saying that these assumptions often do not accurately reflect young mothers' own accounts of their lives. This stigma can make it harder for them to access support.

The literature and secondary data presented mixes UK and Scottish evidence, depending on what level of detail was available. Some evidence is up to date and considers the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic but mostly the evidence base is pre-pandemic. What is known is that COVID-19 had a worse impact on young people's and women's lives, which is likely to exacerbate gender and age inequalities that already existed prior to the pandemic.

Some of the research comes from organisations which support lone parents and young people. While they provide great depth of personal experiences and views, the background of the research needs to be considered when analysing conclusions. The qualitative interviews with 15 mothers under 25 provides further richness to the data, sometimes confirming and sometimes contradicting literature.

While there is no one single policy or action that can support mothers under 25 out of poverty, evidence points towards removing the root causes of poverty through increasing their income. This may include increasing hourly pay and social security benefits. It is also necessary to acknowledge the impact of poverty on the child by supporting mothers through the drivers of poverty, but also through focusing on inequalities for children.