Dr. Helen Johnston:

I do not have specific statistics on one-earner couples compared to two-earner or no-earner households. However, in the report I produced for NESC there was a reference to work done at European level, because this is an international, European phenomenon, not just an Irish phenomenon. In general, because of the reduction in gender barriers, in many households in which there are children, both parents work.

Increasingly, this is necessary to be able to pay mortgages, child care and so on and in consequence, there is that trend. However, for some households with low levels of skill, poor work histories and so on, it can be quite difficult to get jobs and there then is a tendency for jobless households, as well as for dual-earner households. Whereas previously the majority were single-earner households, they are migrating towards the dual-earner model but in some cases, there also has been a growth in no-earner households. This also relates to some studies that have been done on, for example, marriage and partnering behaviour in which those most likely to be jobless are more likely to find a partner who also may be in a similar situation because of the social networks in which people move and so on. It is a complex phenomenon.