Lone Motherhood
Childcare BenefitsIn terms of monetary childcare benefit programs, the
social wage provided for a mother’s care is assumed to be adequately valued and
equal to what it would be valued at in the market. Assuming that the market
values care for children as highly as it does other occupations, a lone mother
would be able to live primarily on her childcare benefits.
However, in the 1990’s, almost one-third of all lone
mothers were living below the poverty line.
Additionally, employed lone mothers earned on average one-third less
than the average income. Both this
poverty level as well as income disparity show that neither the social system,
which 85% of women have chosen to avoid, nor the workforce are viable options
for maintaining the well-being of a family.
