1. iopennew ideas, SMART strategies: confident families, fair communities
EUROPEANONE-PARENT FAMILIES IN
DATA
ISSUES
 Number of singleparents has increased across Europe.
o EU average (2010): 10.4% (9.2% headed by women, 1.2% headed by men); some countries
up to 18.5% (UK)
 One-parent families area major risk group for living in poverty.
o 32% of single-parenthouseholds as against12%of couples with children (EP Report on the
situation of singlemothers, 2011)
 Singlemothers have less access to labour market and to professional or highly skilled careers that
would sustain them financially:
o lower employment of singlemothers (84.1% vs. 90.6% of mothers with partners, Labour
Force Survey 2010 as in Ruggeri & Bird,2014)
o lower involvement in professional or highly skilled careers (especially atsinglemothers with
part-time jobs)
o especially atyoungsinglemothers (<30) with very young children
 Children in one-parent families areespecially vulnerable
o higher risk of child poverty (UK: 4 out of 10 children in SP fami lies livingin relativepoverty, as
against2 out of children in couples families)
o higher risk of stress if parental conflictpresent
o less possibilities of spendingfree time
CAUSES
One-parent families problems arenotrelated to the family structure,but to the socio-cultural processes:
lacking enough support means less opportunities.
POVERTY AND LOWER EMPLOYMENT
 EU gender pay gap lowers incomes for singlemothers
 Gender stereotypes make it difficultfor youngmothers to pursuetheir qualification
 Combiningwork and family is impossibleatsome positions dueto lack of flexiblework arrangements
and availablechildcare
 There are public spendingdisparities on family benefits in EU
PARENTAL CONFLICT
 Insufficientsupportfor shared parentingand parental collaboration after divorcein most countries:
divorceand custody hearings aggravateparental conflictrather than help find optimal solution for
children

2. CONSEQUENCES
 impaired health of parents and children livingin poverty, includinghigher risk of depression
 higher risk of impaired psychomotor development, worse school outcomes, physical and emotional
well-beingand peer relationships atchildren of singleparents
 aggravated female poverty in old age
POLICY MEASURES SHOULD BE SUPPORTED THAT...
 introduce gender-focused strategies to tacklefemale poverty and parental involvement
 increasethe availability of flexiblework arrangements
 increasethe availability of childcarefor children of all agegroups (Barcelona targets)
 supportprogrammes facilitatingtransition to qualification and sustainablecareers
 introduce benefits tailored for one-parent families,such as tax credits/deductionsfor singleparents,
substitute maintenance or other provisions
 introduce the issueof facilities for one-parentfamilies in smart-cities policies and projects
 promote one-parents networking opportunities (Small Families (IT) research proposal)
 supportparental responsibility for the well-being of their children even after family breakup:
o mediation and counsellingduringthe coupledissolution
o promotion of sharingparentingduringthe whole family cycle(involvement of fathers in child
care, facilitatingcontactof the other parent after divorceetc.)
Edited by Eliška Kodyšová (eliska.kodysova@aperio.cz), i-open’s coordinating director.
iopen is a pioneering European initiative to provide, and deliver work/vocational skills, through an innovative,
creative and entrepreneurial blended adult learning programme. The initiative will create accredited,
innovative training course for one parent families, practitioners and professionals who work with them,
delivering a transferable VET skills set: building capacity, employability and opportunities for all one-parent
families across the European Union. Website: http://www.i-open.eu
The Partners in this initiative are:
England Scotland Czech Republic Italy Ireland
Sources:
Ruggeri, K. & Bird, C.E. (2014). Single parents and employment in Europe. Short Statistical Report No. 3. European
Commission. Available online: http://ec.europa.eu/justice/gender-
equality/files/documents/140502_gender_equality_workforce_ssr3_en.pdf

3. Fanjul, G. & Boychuk, R. (2014). Children of the Recession:The impact of the economic crisis on child well-being in rich
countries. Innocenti Report Card 12 - Childreninthe DevelopedWorld. Unicef. Available online: http://www.unicef-
irc.org/publications/pdf/rc12-eng-web.pdf
Committee onWomen’s Rights andGender Equalityof the EuropeanParliament (2011). Report on the situation of single
mothers (2011/2049(INI)). Available online: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pubRef=-
//EP//TEXT+REPORT+A7-2011-0317+0+DOC+XML+V0//EN
Internalmaterials ofSPAN, One Parent Families Scotland, APERIO, Intermedia Consulting andOne Familywere used during
preparationof this summary:
 One Parent Families Scotland:Recent research(http://www.opfs.org.uk/speaking-out/current-research/)
 Single Parent ActionNetwork:Publications & policypapers (http://spanuk.org.uk/index.php/policy-and-
research/publications)
 One Family:Researchreports (http://www.onefamily.ie/policy-campaigns/research-reports/)
 APERIO:Positionpaper - efficient policies assisting Czechsingle parents (inCzech)
http://www.saminadeti.cz/soubory/dokumenty/PositionPaper_APERIO_solorodice.pdf
 Intermedia Consulting:a studythat provides an international comparison:ChildTrends. (2014). World
FamilyMap 2014: Mapping Family Change and Child Well - Being Outcomes. Retrievedfrom
http://worldfamilymap.org/2014/