22 August 2008 – Publication of DWP research report: Exploring disability, family formation and break up: reviewing the evidence
New research on the experiences of disabled people in rates of family formation, break up, re-partnering and having children was published by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and the Office for Disability Issues (ODI) on 20 August. The research, carried out by the University of Birmingham, also provides findings on consequences for employment and poverty for families with a disabled adult or child.
The project involved assessing available literature and conducting new analysis of major UK longitudinal datasets over different time periods.
Key Findings:
Having a long term limiting illness, impairment, health problem or disability is generally associated with:
- A higher proportion remaining single.
- A lower proportion in their first marriage.
- A slightly lower proportion cohabiting.
- A higher proportion of disabled people are divorced or separated.
- A higher proportion experiencing bereavement
- There is considerable variation in the ‘marriage gap’ between disabled and non-disabled people according to age group, gender and impairment type.
Among families with children, 11 per cent became lone parent households after a two year period where a disabled child was present, compared to 8 per cent where there was no disabled child.
Risk of Poverty
The risk that a family had ever> been in poverty was greater, the more years during which either a child or adult respondent said that they had a longstanding illness or disability.
In families where child disability was reported over five consecutive years (2001 to 2005), 52 per cent had experienced poverty in at least one year over that period. In families where no child disability was reported, over the same time period, 40 per cent had experienced poverty.
Employment outcomes
Among those working 30+ hours, where the child experienced onset of impairment over the 5 year period, 22 per cent reduced working hours or stopped working, compared to 14 per cent where the child did not experience an impairment.
Notes to Editors
- Methodology - The research was carried out by Stephen McKay and Harriet Clarke at the University of Birmingham, on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions and the Office for Disability Issues. It is based upon analysis of four large longitudinal surveys, the Families and Children Study (FACS), the British Household Panel Study (BHPS), the Labour Force Survey, the Millennium Cohort Study (MCS) and the 2001 Census sample of anonymised records, as well as reviewing the available literature.
- Poverty measurement - poverty is measured in the same manner as the Households Below Average Income (HBAI) statistics - as having an income below 60 per cent of median equivalised family income, calculated before housing costs. This is the measure of poverty used for Government’s official estimates of poverty rates and child poverty targets.
- Disability definitions – as mentioned above, the report is based upon analysis of a number of different surveys. These surveys use different definitions of disability in their questionnaires. The language used within the report has aimed to achieve consistency across the materials drawn upon, whilst retaining a focus on disability and impairment within the core analysis. The report uses the following distinction between disability and impairment
- Impairment – the functional limitation caused by physical, sensory, or mental impairment (including mental distress)
- Disability – restricted access to participation in the normal life of the community as a result of physical, social and attitudinal barriers.
- The report does, however, retain reference to the original terms used in each survey, in order to be able to analyse them appropriately and to make clear the strengths and limitations of the sources for this kind of analysis.
- The report is DWP Research Report No.514. A free summary is available from Paul Noakes at the DWP Social Research Branch (4th Floor, Adelphi, 1-11 John Adam Street, London WC2N 6HT, 020 7962 8557). The report and summary are available free on the DWP website; http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd5
And the Office for Disability Issues website: http://www.officefordisability.gov.uk/research/research-publications.asp