93.8% of women who head single-parent households in Spain report some degree of difficulty in making ends meet and encounter major obstacles in covering basic expenses such as housing (87.5%), their children’s education (53. 1%) or food (50.6%), according to a study carried out by the Adecco Foundation, through its Vulnerability and Employment Observatory.
The XII Single Parenthood and Employment Report, based on a survey of 340 unemployed women with non-shared family responsibilities, reveals that 8 out of 10 of these women identify with poverty and social exclusion. Of them, 95% feel isolated, with very limited support networks, and 93% feel a significant decrease in their self-esteem and mental health.
Currently, there are 1,944,800 single-parent households in Spain, the majority of them (81.4%) headed by a woman (a total of 1,582,100) compared to 362,700 headed by men.
Expenses derived from education
Among the study data, the Adecco Foundation points out that what is striking is the “high percentage” (53.1%) of these mothers who find great difficulties in meeting the expenses derived from the education of their sons and daughters. This percentage represents an increase of more than ten percentage points compared to 2023, when 40.6% expressed difficulties in this regard.
«We are facing an alarming forecast of a next generation with less training or employability than that of their parents, who define themselves, for the most part, as women at high risk of social exclusion. “If the structural difficulties they face are not addressed, we risk leaving an entire generation behind, perpetuating a system in which the economic situation of mothers determines the future of their children, and in which social gaps widen,” has highlighted the director of Inclusion of the Adecco Foundation, Begoña Bravo.
More than a year looking for a job
Furthermore, the report indicates that 46.9% of women heading a single-parent family have been looking for employment for more than a year and more than half (52.6%) are considering working in the underground or irregular economy, given the urgency of economic income.
Likewise, most of the women surveyed (82%) believe that the circumstances associated with their personal situation truncate their professional prospects: 85% do not find a working day adapted to their needs; 77.8% believe that there are prejudices and stereotypes that question their ability to perform and 66.3% highlight the “emotional burden” that makes it difficult to concentrate and focus on the active job search.
«Women at the head of a single-parent family encounter barriers to entry into the labor market, as their skills and dedication, as well as their ability to balance work and family, are often questioned. These barriers are also reflected in greater difficulties in promoting or progressing in their professional careers. However, our experience supports a very different reality. Every day, they surprise us with their effort and perseverance, developing great loyalty to the project to which they are linked and seeing reinforced attitudes such as effort, responsibility or resilience,” Bravo assured.
Psychological support and public aid
Thus, 93.1% of the women surveyed consider that access to a decent job would be the main way to get ahead and give their children a more promising future. They also believe that there are other factors that would help them improve their situation: psychological support (87.5%), training opportunities that increase their employability (81.9%) and greater access to financial subsidies or public aid (75.9%). %).
Given these data, the Adecco Foundation makes a series of proposals such as: reinforcing active employment policies, free training courses, enabling public education and co-responsibility services – such as expanding hours and places in publicly owned schools, reinforcing the alternative of ‘day mothers’ in urban environments or establishing a package of home help -, tax incentives for companies that hire women as heads of single-parent families or flexible work modalities.
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