Families of twins face double the financial trouble

Families of multiple births face significant financial hardship according to a major new study by researchers from the University of Birmingham. 'The Effects of Twins and Multiple Births Families and Their Living Standards', which is supported by the Twin and Multiple Births Association, found that families with multiple births were more likely to report a drop in their income level following the birth of their children. They were also twice as likely as families of singletons to report 'quite difficult' financial stress. The report also found that twins and triplets experienced higher levels of material deprivation, and their families were more likely to separate or divorce. The report analysed the datasets of The Millennium Cohort Study and the annual Family Resources Survey (2004-2007), the Government's key source of statistics on poverty and low income (see Note 3). It found: 62% of multiple birth families said they were financially worse off after their babies were born, compared with 40% of other parents. Families with a multiple birth were nearly twice as likely to say they were finding the financial pressures 'quite difficult' (13% compared to 7% of families of singletons where the mothers were age-matched, and 8% of all families with singletons).