2024-03-15 19:38:43
An ambitious bill was presented during the first assembly dedicated to single mothers in the French Parliament, on March 8th. More than 80% of single-parent families in the country are led by women.
Daniella Franco, from RFI
Authored by socialist deputy Philippe Brun and deputy Sarah Legrain, from the radical left party França Insubmissa, the initiative is audacious and will begin to be debated soon. The bill aims to create new measures that benefit single mothers, faced with the increasing precariousness of single-parent families in France.
The text proposes a series of unprecedented measures, such as social support from the first child onwards, priority for single mothers and fathers to obtain places in daycare centers, tax exemption for alimony pensions, better allocation of housing aid, double the number of days absence allowed in companies in the case of sick children, in addition to the reduction in transport, leisure, sporting and cultural activities fares.
Progressive deputies consider that improving social support for single-parent families is urgent. Along with the increase in the number of single mothers and fathers – from 9.4% in 1975 to almost 25% in 2020 – difficulties have also grown for this portion of the population. Among the various family compositions in France, it is those led by a single adult that suffer most from the consequences of inflation: 32.3% of single-parent families currently live in poverty, according to data from the French Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies ( Insee).
Unemployment
Solo mothers are those who suffer most from the consequences of this situation: they have the highest unemployment rate, currently over 17%. The percentage is double the unemployment rate for women in families with two adults.
French women who lead their families alone also have fewer offers of more stable employment contracts and better job vacancies, they end up taking jobs with lower pay and less social protection, and face greater difficulties in remaining permanently in the job market. .
As if that weren’t enough, single mothers are still victims of stigmatization and invisibility in society. “They told me to work harder to earn more money,” says educator Sandrine, 37, in an interview with newspaper Release. Divorced from her husband after suffering domestic violence, without finding a place in daycare for her 4-year-old son, she reports a daily life of difficulties and injustices.
“The whole society is made for a couple with children, nothing is planned for when we find ourselves alone”, says Hélène, 51 years old, a single mother since 2011. Responsible for two teenagers, she regrets the consequences of the precariousness she lives in future of their children, who are approaching university age. “I see my friends’ children saying they will study in other cities, but mine won’t be able to choose. Children of precarious parents cannot choose what they want to study”, she highlights, in an interview with Release.
Abandonment of families
Since divorce was legalized in France in 1975, the number of single-parent families has continued to increase. At the time, they represented 9.4% of the total. According to data from Insee, in 2020, almost 25% of families were led by an adult, and the majority by women.
Another Insee report shows that 6% of single-parent families are led by women after the death of their spouse. Another 16% are managed by a single mother due to medically assisted reproductions, adoptions or the refusal to recognize paternity before the birth of the child.
In 76% of single-parent families in France, the woman is forced to assume leadership alone after a divorce. After the separation of a heterosexual couple in France, almost 18% of parents stop interacting with their children.
Consequences of precariousness
The daily difficulties and vulnerability of single mothers also have serious consequences for their children. In 2018, 41% of children in French single-parent families lived in poverty.
Studies indicate that single-parent families are not the source of the problems faced by children raised without the presence of a father or mother, but precariousness. The financial difficulties faced by single mothers or fathers are a crucial point and have an important impact on the future of children.
The situation of poverty experienced by more than 32% of single-parent families in France leads to a greater likelihood of poor school performance, behavioral problems, delinquency, and repeated abandonment in subsequent generations. A 2013 study by the French National Institute for Demographic Studies (Ined) indicated that almost 40% of absent fathers also experienced abandonment by their own parents.
Illustration of a tragic reality: a third of the almost 1,200 young people detained during the uprising in France’s suburbs in 2023 come from single-parent families. Nahel himself – killed by police in a blitz near Paris, which gave rise to the movement – was raised by a single mother.
During the meeting at the French Assembly of Deputies, women who lead their families alone denounced the weight of stigmatization they suffer. The parliamentarians who authored the bill supported the criticism.
“Single-parent families are the most significant social and feminist issue in our society, invisible for years”, guarantees deputy Philippe Brun, from the Socialist Party. “One in four families is single-parent. In 80% of cases, they are led by single mothers and more than 40% [dos filhos] live below the poverty line”, he highlighted during the presentation of the bill.
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