In France, one out of every four families with minor children is now a single-parent family, according to data from INSEE, the French national statistics institute. This share has grown significantly over the past few decades, increasing from 12% in 1990 to 25% in 2021. That means about 2 million single-parent families out of the 8 million total families with children in France. The trend affects one in five children, with the proportion of single-parent families rising from 9.4% in 1975 to 25.9% in 2021. In most cases—84%—the single parent is a mother, and the number of children living in such households has more than doubled over the past 30 years, growing from 1.49 million in 1990 to 3.13 million in 2020. The increase in single-parent families is not mainly due to rising divorce rates or falling birth rates. In fact, divorce rates have stabilized, and birth rates have only slightly declined in recent years. Instead, the main driver of this change is the rise in separations among unmarried couples. Many of these couples live together without being married or are in a PACS (Pacte Civil de Solidarité), a legal partnership recognized in France that is similar to a civil union. These relationships are not recorded as divorces when they end, but they still result in the formation of a single-parent family. As more couples choose cohabitation or PACS over marriage, the traditional divorce process is less commonly used, even though the family structure becomes single-parent after the breakup. This shift has played a major role in the doubling of single-parent families since 1990, reaching about 25% of all families with children by 2020. The impact of these family changes becomes more pronounced as children grow older, suggesting that the effects of relationship breakdowns accumulate over time, whether the parents were married or not. Single-parent families, especially those led by mothers, are more likely to face economic hardship. Nearly half (45%) of single-mother households live below the poverty line, compared to 22% of single-father households. These families are also more likely to live in overcrowded housing and face greater financial challenges than other households with children. The situation varies significantly based on the mother’s level of education, a disparity that has been observed for many years. A recent parliamentary report has called for more tailored social policies to address the growing number of single-parent families in France. As this family structure becomes increasingly common, policymakers are being urged to develop strategies that better support these households and address the challenges they face.