What is Single parent?
[[File:BOSP helps single-parent soldiers manage Army and family life 120908-A-XZ708-003.jpg|thumb|Tawni Munford, member of the US military, has lunch with her children, aged 4 and 5. Munford is a single parent.]] A '''single parent''' is a parent who lives with their children but does not live with a [[spouse]] or partner. People may become single parents if they are breaking up with the other parent. This may happen because of [[domestic violence]], [[sexual assault]]/[[rape]], because the woman gives [[childbirth|birth]] alone, because of [[abandonment]], or by choice. Single-parent families are those having children that are in the control of one parent.<ref>{{cite web|title=Single Parent Law|publisher=US Legal|url=https://definitions.uslegal.com/s/single-parent|access-date=July 23, 2021}}</ref> ==Demographics== In homes in [[OECD]] countries in 2011, single-parent homes made up about 3-11%. The average was 7.5%. The percentage was highest in [[Australia]] (10%), [[Canada]] (10%), [[Mexico]] (10%), the [[United States]] (10%), [[Lithuania]] (10%), [[Costa Rica]] (11%), [[Latvia]](11%) and [[New Zealand]] (11%). It was the lowest in [[Japan]] (3%), [[Greece]] (4%), [[Switzerland]] (4%), [[Bulgaria]] (5%), [[Croatia]] (5%), [[Germany]] (5%), [[Italy]] (5%) and [[Cyprus]] (5%).<ref>{{cite web|title=The Family Size and Household Composition|publisher=OECD Social Policy Division|url=https://www.oecd.org/els/family/SF_1_1_Family_size_and_composition.pdf|access-date=July 23, 2021}}</ref> In homes having children in 2005–09, the percentage of single-parent homes was 10% in Japan, 16% in the [[Netherlands]], 19% in [[Sweden]], 20% in [[France]], 22% in [[Denmark]], 22% in Germany, 23% in [[Ireland]], 25% in Canada, 25% in the United Kingdom and 30% in the United States. The U.S. majority increased from 20% in 1980 to 30% in 2008.<ref>{{cite web|title=Single Parent Households 1980 to 2009|publisher=United States Census Bureau 2012|url=http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2012/tables/12s1337.pdf|access-date=July 23,