In a study of single parents in Malta entitled ‘Improving the Quality of Life of Lone Parents’, it was reported that 33 per cent of single mothers were raised in families that had themselves struggled with unemployment. Poverty is often an inter-generational vicious circle with families caught in a trap which they are unable to break.

The study focused on 250 single parents over the age of 18. All were women. Almost half were employed and 18 per cent were unemployed. Among those who were “inactive” were 31 mothers who did not intend to work as many of them were caring for a disabled parent or child. They were deemed to be especially vulnerable.

The interviews elicited that several felt marginalised by society and that not enough attention was given to their circumstances. Many naturally felt they were worse off than married parents though, remarkably, almost the same number said they felt on a par with married couples.

All stressed the need for better financial support, flexible employment options and more comprehensive information about social security benefits. Over half had no idea about the government’s “benefit tapering scheme” allowing those seeking to re-enter the workforce to phase out benefits over a period of three years.

This report again draws attention to some of the social issues that often lie below the surface among some deprived sections of Maltese society. From the increasing prevalence of teenage pregnancies to battered women, drugs and the poverty of single parents (of whom there are over 10,000, mostly women), these are the largely hidden aspects of life in affluent Malta.

According to the Children 2010 report, the number of births outside marriage increased almost three-fold in the decade up to 2008. Almost two-thirds of single parent pregnancies were unplanned, albeit a third of the women interviewed in this latest study said they were still in a relationship with the child’s father – which begs the question what efforts are being made to ensure that the fathers of the children of single mothers take responsibility for the welfare of their children?

But it is also clear that, as in so many other areas of social deprivation, more needs to be invested in educating these young women about the responsibilities, realities and consequences of being an unmarried mother.

Education lies at the heart of many of Malta’s social problems. The young girl who stops her studies to become a mother is inevitably less capable of employment and the children are brought up in a household that struggles to survive financially.

There is almost invariably a correlation between lack of educational skills and poverty. As the unmarried mother looks to the payment of social security benefit for support, the burden on the State not only becomes heavier as time goes on, but her dependence on hand-outs becomes almost unbreakable.

According to the National Statistics Office, in 2010 about a fifth of the Maltese population was at risk of poverty or social exclusion. Poverty in Malta has lain hidden for several years. But recent reports indicate that as the gap between rich and poor in Malta has widened so has the number living in deprived conditions below the poverty line.

Approaches to reductions in poverty and social deprivation tend to focus on economic and social policies. But a key element must be the need for better education. Education is the prime means of achieving personal human development. Despite the commendably high government investment in education, the system appears to have failed too many vulnerable people.