Angela Abela called for better synergy between professionals.Angela Abela called for better synergy between professionals.

A third of single mothers were raised in a family that struggled with unemployment at some point, highlighting the transmission of poverty down the generations, according to the first large-scale study on lone parents in Malta.

“This is a social injustice and something has to be done because it means that children are trapped in poverty,” Angela Abela said during a conference on single parenthood yesterday.

She called for better synergy in the way professionals, spread across various ministries and organisations, worked.

She said it was important that professionals took the time to get to know the people they set out to help and to understand their family background.

Social Solidarity Minister Michael Farrugia said his ministry was in discussions with the Education Ministry to ensure better collaboration.

He listed measures implemented by the government to support single parents.These included the tapering of benefits to allow those seeking to re-enter the workforce to have their benefits phased out over three years.


50.5%

- of single parents don’t know about benefit tapering scheme


Almost four out of every 10 respondents said they preferred to raise their children themselves. Photo: Chris Sant FournierAlmost four out of every 10 respondents said they preferred to raise their children themselves. Photo: Chris Sant Fournier

But the study highlighted a lack of awareness about this benefit, with only 50.5 per cent knowing about it.

Entitled ‘Improving the quality of life of lone parents in Malta’, the study sought to gain a better understanding of the realities faced by such people.

“The stigma comes out... and our findings suggest that the reality is different to some statements often made about lone parents,” said Prof. Abela. who carried out the research together with Frank Bezzina, Claire Casha and Rose Marie Azzopardi.

Their research was based on questions asked face-to-face to 250 single parents over the age of 18 whose youngest child was under the age of three.

All respondents were women: 49 per cent were employed (28 per cent full-time), 18 per cent unemployed and 33 per cent inactive (not registering for employment for a year). Around 17 per cent of unemployed were looking for a job and three per cent were waiting to start a job.

From the inactive group, researchers extracted a group of 31 mothers who did not intend to work. These were classified as vulnerable, because almost 40 per cent of them cared for a disabled parent or child, among other factors.


64%

- of single parent pregnancies were unplanned


For those who worked, the most common jobs were clerical duties, sales representatives and cleaners or housekeepers.

Almost half – 45.5 per cent – of those who were working said this was possible because something had changed to allow it, such as their children starting school or their parents becoming pensioners.

Eleven women admitted to working illegally, some explaining it allowed more time flexibility and others saying they did not want to lose benefits.

The majority worked legally, with some stressing the importance of abiding by law and pension eligibility.

Reasons given for not working included lack of trust in childcare, few suitable job opportunities and employers not being family friendly.


100%

- of single parents interviewed were women


When asked about childcare, 39 per cent said they preferred to raise their children themselves, 36 per cent would leave them in the care of family members or friends and 12 per cent made use of formal childcare.

From the last group, 34.5 per cent sent their children to the government’s after-school programme Klabb 3-16 on average four times a week.

When asked to make recommendations, several mothers said they felt misunderstood and ”pushed aside” and that not enough attention was given to their individual circumstances.

The women also spoke about the need for better financial support, flexible employment options and more information on benefits.

Long-term disability and illness

Over one in every five single parents, whose youngest child is under the age of three, are caring for a child who has a long-term illness or disability, the study shows.

The findings explain why single parents interviewed called for more medicine subsidies and more and better-trained LSAs, among other things.

Report co-author Angela Abela said the percentage was much higher in the single parent population when compared to the population in general. In fact, according to the 2011 census, four per cent of households included children with long-term illnesses or disabilities. Long-term illnesses can include diabetes, asthma and heart disease.

Interesting results

• 10,631 single parents are heading households, according to the 2011 census;

• 4 per cent of general single parent population are men, according to the census;

• 18.3 per cent of single parents had separated parents;

• 7.6 per cent of single parents were in education and 1.2 per cent in training;

• 64 per cent of pregnancies were unplanned;

• 34 per cent were still in a relationship with the child’s father;

• 156 respondents felt they were worse off than married parents;

• 137 respondent said they were the same as married couples.

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