Mother’s Day is a special time for all moms and a day we love to celebrate them and acknowledge all the amazing and wonderful ways they have contributed to our lives.
This year, we would like to give a special shout-out to all the single moms who are doing the duty of both parents, so often alone or without emotional and financial support.
Not to diss on single dads, but there are some statistics about single motherhood that are startling, such as:
- There are about 15.3 million children in the United States who lived with a single mother while there are only 3.2 million children who live with a single father. (U.S. Census Bureau, 2020)
- There are 14.84 million families with a single mother in the US. On the other hand, there are 6.5 million families with a single father in the US. (U.S. Census Bureau, 2020)
- Women aged 35 to 39 in the US have a 9% likelihood of living as single parents. In contrast, men in the US only have a 2% likelihood to live as single parents. (Pew Research, 2019)
- In the US 3 of 5 children are poor (60%) and live in families headed by unwed mothers. (National Women’s Law Center, 2020)
- There were 440,000 families headed by unwed mothers that are classified as poor. They comprise 10% of families with a householder who worked full-time. (National Women’s Law Center, 2020)
- Families with children headed by unwed mothers have a poverty rate of 31% while those headed by an unwed father had a poverty rate of 15%. The lowest poverty rate is 5% for families headed by a married couple. (National Women’s Law Center, 2020)
- On average, single parent households spend 34% of their household income on childcare. On the other hand, families usually spend over 10% of their household income on child-care costs for a single child. (CNBC, 2020)
- Also, according to single-parent household statistics by race, approximately two out of five families headed by black females have been reported to live in poverty (37%), which is higher than that of white single-mother families (29%) and Asian single-mother families (29%). (Single Mother Guide)
- Yet just under 46% of custodial parents received their full share of child support payments (Statista, 1993-2017).
In Pierce County, WA, a single adult with one child would have to have a living wage of $34.32 an hour ($71,375 gross annually, full-time), or $42.74 an hour ($88,899 gross annually full-time) with two children (as of 2021, MIT Living Wage Calculator) to cover basic living expenses and other necessities at a NET rate of $61,430 a year with one child or $76,494 for two.
Single moms face a lot of stress and uncertainty just surviving and fulfilling the needs of not only themselves but also their children. Most make tremendous sacrifices so their children don’t go without. They work longer hours, skip meals, and are less likely to invest in things that could improve their and their children’s future because they just don’t have enough money to go around.
At Eloise’s Cooking Pot Food Bank, we love helping single mothers get the food they and their families need to sustain a well-balanced, healthy diet – and do so without stress and worry! The food we provide to families helps offset monthly necessities so single moms can use their limited resources towards other costs like housing, utilities, childcare, and gas to fill their tanks so they can get to and from work.
At the food bank, we also strive to have other items parents need for their children, especially those with newborns and younger kids. And we don’t just feed adults and youths. Single moms (and dads) can also come in and, when available, pick up jars of baby food, formula, and even diapers for their children.
Single moms don’t get enough accolades for what they do to raise happy, healthy children who will grow up to be good neighbors and contributing citizens. We want to remember and thank all of you moms who put everything into their children and families. And please remember Making A Difference Foundation and our Eloise’s Cooking Pot Food Bank in your time of need. We are here to help!