Where are the tax breaks for the single?

I read a really alarming fact recently. According to The Guardian, women are currently earning 24 per cent less than men.

Let’s just digest that. I will potentially earn 24 per cent less than my male counterpart in my lifetime. In an age where women have made so much progress, it makes me feel unsettled and sad that there is still such an imbalance.

That aside, women take a further financial hit based on their life choices, in ways that men just don’t.

If women choose to have a family, their salary and financial worth is beyond wounded. After watching friends and colleagues struggle on pants maternity pay I know I will face the same issues in the future.

I also felt a bit sick earlier this year when it came out that items marketed at women such as clothes and beauty products are 37 per cent more expensive on average. What?! Why! And don’t even get me started on the whole tampon tax debacle.

I get that you can financially struggle regardless of your situation, but I can’t help but feel it’s a different ball game for women – especially if you are single.

Like many other single women, financially I’m a one man band. I don’t have a loving partner at home to split the cost of living with, so essentially my outgoings are double those of many of my friends in a relationship. If something in my flat breaks, I have to find the money to fix it. If something needs replacing, I have to buy it. And, as I am not married or a mother, I don’t get any tax breaks or benefits. Yo, Department of Work and Pensions – how about a ‘single’ benefit?

I see so many people quietly berate me for not having a mortgage and fat wad of savings in the bank. It would be really nice for someone to give me and all the other women who do it by themselves, a pat on the back and a well done. I don’t see the government doing this anytime soon, so if you’re putting a roof over your own head and living life beautifully –  well done!