Nowadays, there are more than 30,000 single families in Tianjin. Among them, more than 20,000 are single mother families, accounting for 76.2%. And 60% single mother families are in poverty. What’s more, the number of single mother families is on a yearly increase. Single mothers face six major pressures.

Tianjin Municipal Women’s Federation issued a latest report on single mother families in its six non-agricultural districts. The report reveals that 33.3% of single mothers are unemployed, laid-off or jobless. 24.4% single mothers support their families by part-time jobs. Only 23.2% single mother families have all three of endowment insurance, medical care insurance, and unemployment insurance. 38.3% single mother families have none of the three insurances. 31.3% single mother families enjoy a "minimum guarantee," while 68.7% families does not fit the present requirements to apply for the guarantee.

Therefore, Tianjin planned to organize a special action to help single mothers and their families. Besides direct material support, the action focuses on their re-employment.

Survey Results: 6 Major Pressures for Single Mothers

Death of their spouse or ex-husband’s refusal to pay children’s allowance is one of the major reasons for the present difficult situation in single mother families. In the 1,000 single mothers at random, 54.6% are bereft of their spouse. Less than 2% of the ex-husbands pay for their children’s allowance. Despite of a distinct court judgment or divorce agreement, it is hard for the court to enforce their verdict if the ex-husband has no stable profession or income at all.

Single mother families have problems in housing. Among the interviewee, only 19.6% families have an apartment of their own. 80.4% families live with the parents, relatives or rent. In their divorce, it is difficult to protect women’s right of housing.

Single mothers carry heavy burdens of their children’s education. The survey indicates that most children in single mother families are in medium-level or higher education. 70.9% families have children in junior high, senior high school or universities. Children’s education is another reason for the poverty of single mother families.

Single mothers face difficulties in re-employment. Among the 1,000 single mothers, about 2/3 are between 41 and 50 years old. 85% of them have an education background under senior high. Such conditions make it even harder for them to find a job again.

Single mother families have a relative unsatisfactory health status. Among the 1,000 single mothers in the survey, 16% women are disabled, sick and not able to work, or seriously ill and lack of working ability. 48.7% single mothers have various kinds of disease but still stick to their work.

Single mothers have difficulties to fully enjoy a “minimum guarantee.” The survey shows that 68.7% single mother families do not enjoy the “minimum guarantee,” half of which are poor families. Many single mothers did not end their labor contract with enterprises. Therefore, in spite of their small income, they still couldn’t enjoy the “minimum guarantee.”

Ways to Help: to Focus on Re-employment

To ease the six major pressures for single mothers, concerning departments in Tianjin decides to aid single mothers to find new jobs and offer them real help. The six supporting ways include setting up a foundation for single mothers through government allocation and social donation; facilitating re-employment for single mothers through legal and career aid and improving their income; providing favorable conditions for single mothers to enjoy a “minimum guarantee” in Tianjin; organizing activities for single mothers to find true love through Tianjin Municipal Women’s Federation; and offering free medical-check for single mothers.

Tianjin Labor and Social Security Bureau decided to include poor single mother into the ten categories of people who have difficulties to find jobs, and treat them as major targets in their future aid. Community handcraft organizations could enjoy allowance for employing laid-off workers and for social insurance if they employed poor single mothers.

Source: http://www.china-woman.com

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