Our society sees an increasingly rising number of single parents today, and the majority of them are single mothers. Single mothers are defined as females who head the household, and have at least one unmarried child under 18 years old living in the same household. Single parenthood may occur for a variety of reasons – death of spouse, divorce, or abandonment.
Based on the 2000 Population and Housing Census of Malaysia, there were 126,810 single mothers in Malaysia at the time. The number is likely to be underestimated, and has definitely grown much larger today considering the increased rates of divorce and separation.
It is tough to be a single mother and breadwinner at the same time. Personal emotions and issues aside, single mothers are weighed down with additional responsibilities that they have to deal with on their own, and on limited resources.
If you have relatives or friends who are single parents, read on to understand the difficulties and challenges they face. If you are a single mother, do know that you are not alone and help is available.
Facts & figures
According to a Malaysian study(1) focusing on urban single mothers who are largely from the low income level:
- 72% are widows, 23% are divorcees, 4% husbands went missing, 1% abandoned by husbands.
- About 64% have 2-4 children.
- About 92% of these women have monthly incomes of less than RM1,000.
Reference:
1. Omar D, et al. Urban Living Condition of Low Income Single Mothers in Malaysia. European Journal of Social Sciences 2009;9(2):193-201.
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