Quarter of Britain’s children from single-parent households

Nearly a quarter of children in Britain live in lone-parent families, figures published today  reveal.
 
The Office of National Statistics report on social trends shows that the number has more than tripled since 1972.
 
Eight out of 10 children in Pakistani or Bangladeshi households in the UK are in the bottom 40 per cent of households ranked by disposable income, compared with just under half of all children, according to the figures.
 
The report also shows that 18 per cent of boys and 13 per cent of girls aged five to 16 living in households with a gross weekly income of less than £100 in 2004 had a mental disorder.