A group of single mothers in the United Kingdom has advocated for fair ticket pricing by zoos, tourist attractions, royal gardens and theme parks, urging them to take into account different-sized families and end what they believe is a single-parent premium.
Research carried out by the group of single parents reveals that memberships for some of Britain’s most popular attractions are far higher per person for single-parent families than for two-parent families.
At Flamingo Land, Yorkshire, annual membership costs £490 for a family with two parents, reducing to £420 for one parent, while at Leeds Castle in Kent, a family ticket for a year is £80 whether there is one adult or two, the only difference being that single adults can take in five children instead of four.
This trend however denies children from single-families such experiences because 49% of children in the two million single-parent families across the UK live in poverty, according to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.
The campaign for fairer pricing is backed by MPs and charities who share fears that while children in two-parent families will begin to return to visitor attractions as lockdown eases, children of single parents will suffer culturally and educationally.
Marsha de Cordova, shadow secretary of state for women and equalities, said the prices were “discriminatory” and “unfair”. “All families should be able to enjoy days out,” she said. “More must be done urgently to support single-parent families, who are already more likely to be trapped in low-paid work.
Rubie Harrington, campaigns officer at the charity Gingerbread, said: “We call on businesses to embed fairer family offers that do not discriminate against single-parent families. Now more than ever, all sectors must work towards rebuilding a fairer economy.”
