Single parent families in Brussels face higher risk of poverty than in other regions

The Brussels region has 67,718 single-parent families, and their situation is more precarious than in the country’s other two regions, according to new research from the Brussels Institute for Statistics and Analysis (BISA).

The median income of single-parent families is €20,684 per year in Brussels - the lowest figure of all household types across the country. 

More than 36% of single-parent families in the capital are therefore at risk of income poverty, as their income is less than 60% of the national median.

On top of that, 40% live in a household where the level of employment is very low or where the single parent has been able to work little or not at all over the past 12 months.

Women bear the brunt in particular. Almost nine in 10 single parents are women. Among them, 39% have only a lower secondary education qualification, and only 59% are in regular employment.

An estimated 14% of single-parent families in Brussels live in a situation of severe material and social deprivation, meaning they can no longer afford at least seven out of 13 expenses considered essential, including rent, heating or internet access.

Single-parent families in Brussels also face greater socio-economic difficulties than single-parent families in Flanders or Wallonia. For instance, they are less likely to own their own home. They also have a lower median income and are therefore at greater risk of poverty or social exclusion.

The proportion of single parents born outside the European Union is also much higher in Brussels than it is in Flanders and Wallonia, the study found.