Single Mothers within the European Union

14.12.22

Despite the growing number of families headed by a single parent, single parents remain one of the most vulnerable groups when it comes to poverty, housing and energy deficits, and health challenges.

In order to develop an understanding of the needs of single mothers in the European Union, Make Mothers Matter interviewed representatives from six organizations that support single parents in EU member states: Gengle in Italy, the Isadora Duncan Foundation in Spain, LET-FLIGHT in Croatia, Aperio in the Czech Republic, Egyszülős Központ in Hungary, and Pienperheyhdistys ry  in Finland. They not only have insight into the needs of single mothers in their country, but also actively work to support them.

In Italy, the organization Gengle primarily helps single mothers. They seek to create networks for mothers to connect with one another, reassure mothers that being single is accepted, and uncover the needs of mothers in the community.

The Isadora Duncan Foundation in Spain helps single mothers with a wide variety of needs, including financial and energy insecurity. They hold workshops to help single mothers find jobs, balance their budget, and use energy efficiently.

For LET-FLIGHT, in Croatia, alimony is a major concern for single parents, who often do not receive this money or are not recognized as divorced. LET-FLIGHT also releases publications on the needs of single parents and organizes support groups for them.

In the Czech Republic, Aperio addresses the mental health needs of single parents through their “Single, but Strong” program. This initiative combines group meetings, online learning, and possible counseling in order to support single parents’ well-being and growth.

Egyszülős Központ, the only single parent organization in Hungary, supports single parents in seven fields: crises, labor market, community building, parenting workshops, children’s programs, prevention of single parenting, and lobbying.

Though single parenthood is not heavily stigmatized in Finland, Pienperheyhdistys ry finds that single parents seek out peer support and connection with other single parents. To support single parents’ needs, Pienperheyhdistys ry organizes peer activities, engages in volunteer work, and advocates for their voice politically.

Ultimately, MMM found that single parents often require support in terms of financial help, housing and energy access, and health care. However, these needs are often overlooked. Raising  awareness is vital to meeting these needs.

We would like to thank, above all, Quitterie de Thoury for her support in the realisation of this report. During her internship at MMM, we appreciated her research and contacts with the organisations interviewed for the paper. She was supported by two of our other interns Clara Luciani and Olivia Seal in different stages of the project.

Read our Summary and Policy Paper

Keywords:

Most read articles

Mothers, unpaid care work and global crises – connecting the dots

02.07.24

UN New York / HLPF - Register now to join us online at this year’s High Level Political Forum side-event.

Lire plus

Investing in mothers key for inter-generational change

13.02.24

UN New York, CSocD62 - MMM's intervention to the Commission on Social Development reiterates that investing in mothers through recognition, education, protection and adequate support is a smart invest

Lire plus

Let’s change the narrative: Invest in Mothers

11.03.24

UN New York, CSW68 - Join us for a discussion on changing the narrative in support of mothers - an online parallel event to the 68th UN Commission on the

Lire plus
See all the articlesof the category

News from the MMM European Delegation

Child and Family Support in Europe : ensuring families receive the best possible care

05.12.24

We were delighted to coorganise, together with the European Parents Association (EPA), the "Quality Assurance in Child and Family Support in Europe: Policy Lessons for Evidence-Informed Decision Making" initiat

Read more

Early Childhood interventions: crucial for the empowerment of mothers of children with disabilities 

18.09.24

EASPD, in collaboration with various family rights networks, including MMM, has issued a position paper on “Family-centred Early Childhood Intervention" (ECI) for children with disabilities. This approach pro

Read more

Time Poverty and the Motherhood Penalty
Unveiling Economic and Social Injustices

09.07.24

Mothers play an essential role in families by ensuring their loved ones are nourished, educated, and healthy, but their unpaid care work often leads to economic and social injustices, known as the motherhood pe

Read more

MMM teams push for strengthening the right to education

19.06.24

UN Geneva – A resolution aimed at strengthening the right to education in international legal instruments will be negotiated during the 56th session of the Human Rights Council, which began on 18 June. This r

Read more

Mothers Can-Bringing mothers back to work

13.05.24

MMM is working on the project “Mothers Can-Bringing mothers back to work”, a European partnership between six countries (Belgium, Cyprus, Germany, Romania, Spain and Greece). The project aims to support mot

Read more

Breaking the intergenerational cycle of poverty by investing in children and their families

07.05.24

Make Mothers Matter participated in the conference “Investing in an inclusive and fair future for Europe. European Child Guarantee: from engagement to reality", organised within the framework of the Belgian p

Read more