Editorial

The report indicating that single parents would lose out on social benefits if they get remunerated more than Lm20 a week for part-time work is certainly disconcerting, and this for various reasons, whether of a social or economic nature.

Malta prides itself on being a caring society and social welfare and benefits are a much cherished cornerstone of our society.

Although social services have gone some way to address the often dire straits of such families, single parents will always be considerably disadvantaged. It is understandable that single parents will try to seek employment and lift themselves out of the poverty trap and in doing so they rightly expect to find all the help they can possibly get.

It is a fact of life that single parent families are on the increase - unfortunately, some may hasten to add. It was only yesterday that most single mothers were widows. However, society is changing and very rapidly and Malta is following the social trends taking place elsewhere.

As in the rest of Western Europe, families are being destabilised as they increasingly face the rising phenomenon of promiscuity, infidelity and broken marriages that undermine the institution of marriage, that vital social structure on which the welfare of society depends. It was recently reported that the number of births out of wedlock in Malta shot up from 1.71 per cent in 1990 to 19.14 per cent in 2004 with no end to the relentless increase in sight. The Employment and Training Corporation's chief executive, Sue Vella, said only 29 per cent of single parents are in employment and that an incredible 43.8 per cent of single parents are at the brink of poverty.

Unlike here in Malta, the vast majority of single parents overseas are in employment. Providing single parents with greater opportunities for work by providing accessible employment and training services, affordable childcare facilities and flexible employment will go some way to alleviate the financial difficulties of single parents locally. In addition, their particular case must be taken into consideration by the powers-that-be when computing their social benefits entitlement.

For it is quite illogical that single parents who seek work end up forfeiting their social benefits. Young children already lose out when they lack one parent. Now they also risk losing out on social benefits if the single parent seeks extra income from out-of-the-home employment. Needless to say, it is necessary for the authorities to have a close look at recipients of social welfare to weed out fraud and dishonesty.

It should also be of great concern that single parent households now make up 2.6 per cent of the total. With an aging population and the worrying upsurge in births out of wedlock, this percentage will rise inexorably. The country already faces a very serious and unsustainable situation in maintaining social benefits. At this rate it will be untenable.

However, the main thrust of society should be to address the dramatic increase in single parents. There are various reasons but it is a reality that, due to the expenses involved, getting married has become for many almost unattainable.

It is of vital importance that prospective married couples should be offered incentives and support in the early difficult stages of setting up a family. A society that neglects the future of the family will end up paying huge costs and these will not be just financial. In the meantime, the efforts of single parents struggling to make ends meet should not be undermined for taking the initiative to work and increase their income.