Pink spotlights the growing phenomenon of single motherhood

The number of single mothers remains on the increase - 895 babies were born to unmarried mums in 2007 and 247 were born to teenagers - and tomorrow's issue of pink delves into the issue.

Nowadays, although not many bat an eyelid at the growing phenomenon, some are feeling like the cash cows that are milked to support the lifestyle choice, Pink finds. And unless the authorities come up with a concrete direction for national sexual health that addresses reality, the situation is likely to persist.

The InFocus section of the monthly magazine looks into the matter from various angles, highlighting that the government handed out over €3.6 million in benefits for 356 single mothers, who sought social assistance, in 2007.

Expert opinion points out that the government is only helping those who already have a child and is not focusing on prevention. Teenage mothers do not seem to be learning their lesson, with some already having their second and third, costing taxpayers millions of euros.

While most recognise the importance of social welfare, many wonder whether the situation is being abused, Pink learns. On the latter issue, however, a Social Policy Ministry spokesman chooses to ignore the questions and the cost that goes into providing social assistance.

This and other interesting topics dominate the 51st edition of Pink, which is out with The Times tomorrow. Change is a theme that runs throughout, in keeping with the feelings inspired by the start of a New Year.

LifeStyle tells the story of three women who left their dead-end jobs and made drastic career changes; PinkShrink guides readers on a journey of transformation to reach the destination of change; BookShelf offers guidelines for achieving a variety of goals with its list of inspiring books; and RelationTips encourages readers to focus on attaining them in a more realistic way.

Shop shelves may be on the way to emptying out in time for the new collections but ShowStopper has still managed to source some bargains and come up with a subtly sassy look, using the new Castille Place bookshop, Word for Word, as a background.

Pink's executive editors are The Times journalists Fiona Galea Debono and Ariadne Massa. It is published by Allied Newspapers Ltd, printed by Progress Press Ltd, produced by MediaMaker Ltd and designed by Helen Cassar Torreggiani and Joseph Schembri.