Minister for Social and Family Affairs Séamus Brennan has expressed his determination to confront unfair stereotyping of lone parents, who account for one in eight of all family units in the State.
Mr Brennan said the nation's 154,000 lone parents were a valuable resource who needed to be presented with genuine choices, particularly in relation to access to employment and education.
"It is time in this 21st century Ireland that we started to wipe away increasingly stale, restrictive social policies and set about opening up genuine choices and opportunities for lone parents."
More than €800 million will be distributed in welfare benefits this year to the 86,000 lone parents who are entitled to State welfare support.
The Minister said the Government planned to introduce a range of proposals to tackle problems faced by lone parents on income support such as access to employment and education, childcare, cohabitation rules and unfair stereotyping.
He said reforms have already been discussed with representative organisations for lone parents and alternative models have been studied in other European countries.
It was particularly worrying that such a high percentage of one-parent families were at risk of poverty, at a time when the Irish economy was continuing to prosper, he said.
"Behind the statistics are very real lives, real day-to-day pressures, lives given to providing the best for children and lives searching for greater fulfilment.
"Lone parents have the added responsibility of providing care for their children, as well as most often being the sole breadwinner."
The Minister stressed the importance of looking beyond welfare payments to tackle the social issues and pressures which blunt fulfilment and curb aspirations. "It is a well-established fact that one of the best routes out of poverty for lone parents is through paid employment."
Mr Brennan was speaking at Southill Junior School in Limerick yesterday, where he launched a new guide for lone parents.
The magazine offers information and advice on education and employment options, money and budgeting, family support services and other supports.
It will be posted to lone parents in receipt of State welfare support over the coming days.