In the past years, government help for single parents in some countries was very much available. The government recognized the necessity to provide financial support for these parents, which made the situation easier for them.
But recently, more countries are beginning to reduce or withdraw single parent benefits.
On January 1, this year, Australia’s federal government made substantial cuts to single parenting payments (when the youngest child turns 8) of around $110 a week which caused a very negative reaction from the concerned parents.
Even the United Nations asked the government to explain the reason for this drastic change.
Last April, a rally was organized by the Single Parent Action Group, along with the help of the National Council of Single Mothers and their Children to express their vexation towards this decision which affected 80,000 families.
It has been reported that a lot of these parents have desperately considered of committing suicide when this took effect. Other single mothers have resorted to prostitution because they cannot see how they and their children can survive.
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| Image By: USAG- Humphreys |
Their proposal aims to make a fairer revision of the family payment system, targeting the help mainly for those who are in need.
Recently, in England, changes in government policies involving benefits of single parents illicit feelings of frustration from single parents who are trying their best to make ends meet for their children.
But aside from the reduction of parenting payments, their justification for receiving financial support is being questioned and contested.
In an article written by Rebecca Omonira-Oyekanmi, Government Policy is Forcing Single Parents Into Poverty, a distraught parent shares her difficulty in handling finances and her suffering from prejudices for being a single parent, which is experienced by most women.
This parent feels like she is being punished for being in such a situation. The austerity policies of the government which will be effective until 2015/ 2016, show that single parents will be the most affected among different types of families.
Their income will be reduced by around 15.1%, couples with children by around 9.7% and couples without children by around 4.1%. Factors affected by this loss include housing, higher education or training and tax and spending changes.
The devastating changes in government policies have brought single parents down to poverty. It is a very unfortunate predicament for single parents when such unavoidable changes made by the government occur.
It does not mean that they entirely depend on the government for support but they are hoping for more help since childcare services are expensive. Despite having a job, low-income single parents’ efforts are insufficient in managing the finances for the entire household.
The government’s decisions may be a result of various economic conditions in the country.
But it cannot be disregarded that the high reduction of benefits of single parents as compared to other families may come from painful and prejudiced views that single parents, particularly mothers, do not deserve much help from the government because they brought themselves to such situation.
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