I am a single mother by choice. Why am I hit with a ‘solo parent’ penalty?

September 25, 2026 — 3:30pm

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Georgie Dent’s National Press Club address this week helped move an important conversation about families forward. One observation from Dent, the chief executive of advocacy body The Parenthood, has stayed with me: our workplaces, schools and broader economy can still operate as though there is a “spare adult” somewhere in the family, ready to absorb the gaps.

I am a single mother by choice. There is no spare adult. Yet economically, partnership still offers protections one-adult families do not have.

I have a seven-year-old son I adore, a career, family and friends around us, and a life that feels full. We increasingly say marriage is not a prerequisite for a complete life. Economically, however, pooling income, care, housing costs and risk with another adult remains a powerful advantage.

Dent’s broader argument is that raising children reaches into workforce participation, productivity, housing and Australia’s falling birth rate. We understand........

© The Age