In Spain, there are approximately two million families considered to be single parents. The vast majority of them, 81.4% of them are led by women raising their children Without any help other than his own resources.
This condition leads to these … Mothers experience greater barriers: – Difficulties in accessing the labor market With experience of discrimination or difficulties saving. One of the key findings of Adecco’s 13th Single Parenting and Employment Report, which surveys 353 unemployed women heading single-parent households, is that job instability increases the risk of poverty.
Rocio is a single mother. A little over 20 years ago, he came to Spain from Ecuador to get a job in Spain. A few years after his arrival he had to do just that His daughterwhich she has now 16 years old. She is one of the many mothers who had to do all kinds of juggling in order to be able to raise their children. He’s been in all sorts of situations, like the ones described in the report, which are not unusual for him: he was unemployed for a while, got a job, and now, he told the ABC, for about five years he’s been “professionally fine.” Achieving this stability has required great sacrifices, although it has been able to move forward thanks to various aid and the support of the FAMS association, responsible for supporting single-parent families and reporting discriminatory situations.
“For more than 10 years I have been working as a seamstress. Initially, I started working as a cleaner and worked my way up, but… It’s taken a long time to get to where I am.», summarizing the history of his work. However, with one salary he has to pay for his expenses, his daughter’s expenses, house and food, among many other things: “I am struggling financially because Most of the salary goes to rent And in things around the house, in the basics. “I have a little food left.”
“Financially, I’m doing well because most of my salary goes toward rent and stuff around the house basically.”
Difficulty covering their expenses
The Adecco report, which focuses heavily on the labor aspect, highlights that women who head single-parent families must face barriers. 48% claim to have Experienced discrimination63.2% cannot find schedules compatible with their situation, 49.9% cannot afford care services and 38.9% lack a family support network.
Rocio knows all these situations well. When she was unemployed, she sought help from social services to find someone who could take her daughter to school. He explains that this service was denied to him due to the state of unemployment he suffers from, which deprived him of his time to focus on searching for a good opportunity. Once he got a job, he asked for help again: “Then the income was low and I was also rejected.” The solution was to be separated from her daughter for most of the day: “I put it in breakfast at 7 a.m. until 6 or 7 p.m., when I pick it up after school. So It gave me time, but she was in school for long hours.». As the report highlights, one of the barriers after employment is reconciliation.
He was able to receive a minimum living income when he needed it and other assistance. Now, he receives a check for the kids, which in his case is €58.
Difficulties in accessing the labor market
At 16, the youngest was becoming increasingly independent, but when her mother started working she was barely five years old. Reconciling with Rocío was one of her major challenges. “When I ran out of work days, I told my manager that they would deduct my permits from my vacation days.. At the end of the year, I would sometimes find out that I owed the company days of work. It’s time to make adjustments. As he says, he hasn’t had a single day off for years.
Rocio insists on the idea that there are difficulties in getting a job. “always They asked me if I had family responsibilities. It’s the first thing they see you as a woman. In order not to miss the opportunity, I told them not to worry. “Sometimes it was part-time jobs, and it didn’t suit me as well, but it worked.”
“They always asked me if I had family responsibilities. “So as not to waste the opportunity, I told them not to worry.”
He admits that sometimes he had to lie in an interview because he needed the job. Now, with the perspective afforded by time and with new measures approved for single mothers, she suggests she would have handled some situations differently.
A complex personal and professional situation, also characterized by bullying to which the minor was subjected, which had consequences beyond the psychological impact. She had to stop paying rent for a few months, after agreeing with her landlord: “I have paid 500 euros, now I’m paying off this debt slowlyAlthough I only have a little left. However, he stresses that he can’t complain because “it is what it is” and notes that, fortunately, he “never misses a plate of food.” He also does not fail to send a message of hope to those going through similar situations: “One door closes and another opens, even though it is difficult to see the other.”
“When I was young I didn’t understand, I thought I had to obey and that was it. now He deals with burnout because sometimes he sees me frustrated with finances and wants to go to work and wants to help.. He says: “I tell him that this is not his time, and he should focus on his studies and be healthy.”
“My daughter is now dealing with burnout because she sometimes sees me frustrated with finances and wants to go to work.”
Regarding these issues, Begonia Bravo, from Adecco, highlights in the report that this type of difficulty “reveals the structural fragility of single-parent homes and responds to the problem of Survival strategy».
The expenses they must bear
The Adecco report also notes that the items that put the greatest strain on the budget are housing (85%), food (59.3%), entertainment (57.5%), children’s education (55%), clothing (54%) and supplies (53%). In this sense, the report warns that “difficulties in bearing the associated costs increased by 12.5 percentage points compared to 2023, rising from 40.6% to 55.0%.” Rossio confirms all of these positions.
Likewise, according to the report, single-parent families Vulnerability levels are double the national averageIt also means increased exposure to poverty and social exclusion. In this sense, poverty or exclusion among female-headed households translates into difficulty meeting daily expenses: 95% of them find it difficult to cover their expenses.
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