Peer Review on “Single mothers facing poverty: Providing adequate financial, material and social support for sustainable social integration”, Brussels (Belgium), 5 October 2017
In all EU Member States, single-parent families’ poverty rate is substantially higher than among two-parent families, according to the at-risk-of-poverty (AROP) indicator. In Belgium, this risk is particularly high, as one in two single parent families was at-risk-of-poverty in 2016, a ratio 2.6 times higher than for the total population.
Single parenthood is also strongly gendered, as approximately 85% of single-parent families are headed by women. Single parents often experience multiple disadvantages, and in Belgium, single mothers represent close to 17% of all minimum income beneficiaries, compared to 2.1% men in the same sub-category (PPS Social integration statistics, 2015 data). Poverty appears to be more long-term phenomenon in this social group, with high relative rates of persistent poverty, and also high occurrence of material deprivation. To address this issue, a pilot project named MIRIAM was launched in September 2015 in five Public Social Welfare Centres (PSWC) in Belgium targeting single mothers that benefit from support of the PSWC. The project provided intensive and tailored case management, both at individual and at collective level, and aimed to increase the empowerment of women and, as a consequence, durable social integration. Key learning messages- Single parents disproportionally face a ‘triple bind’, including the combination of inadequate resources, inadequate employment and inadequate policies to secure well-being. However, although there are clearly challenges that are unique to single-parent families, much of their needs are common to other types of families as well. Thus, policies and institutions that support families with children and those in the labour force were also found to be of particular importance to prevent poverty faced by single parents.
- Measures targeting (poor) single parents result in the most effective poverty reduction as long as adequate levels of redistribution are ensured. Targeted (means-tested) benefits need to address the issue of inadequate take-up, and avoid stigma/shame around accessing benefits/support.
- Social inclusion of mothers beyond monetary support is essential, including employment and social connections. However, employment does not protect single mothers from poverty, as there are a number of risk factors related to precarious employment, low wages and less favourable employment conditions that may affect them. Thus, employment policies and policies that ensure work-life balance, are an inherent part of a desirable policy mix.
- A holistic approach with respect to the social integration of mothers with cumulative disadvantage requires coordination in both the design and implementation of policies among different institutions. In addition to individual support measures, the use of collective/group-level support was found effective in helping single mothers overcome their isolation through sharing of experiences with others who face similar problems and find support within the group.