Survey shows solo mothers’ plight

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33790, 12 March 1975, Page 6

Survey shows solo mothers’ plight

(By

ANNE HARGREAVES)

What do we know about that segment of the community we have labelled the “solo mother”? Some are young, some are old. Some have only one child. Others have many. They include not only widows, but women who are divorced, separated, living apart, or unmarried.

The Christchurch branch -of the Society for Research on Women in New Zealand has attempted to shed some light on the circumstances of these women who are raising families on their own.

The society’s latest publication, “Solo Mothers,” is the result of a survey carried out in Christchurch in 1971 and 1972. In all, 319 women were interviewed.

Although it might be suspected that such women are at a disadvantage in our society, the survey shows that while in some areas and for some women, this is true, there are yet many women coping well with the circumstances in which they find themselves. The critical areas, points out the report, are those regarding the average income per household, housing tenure, and the proportion of women working with young children. BENEFITS At the time of being interviewed, well over half the sample had incomes ranging between $3O and $5O a week. Yet the minimum weekly wage for adult males quoted in the Department of Labour’s figures for October 1971, was $6O. and for April 1972, it was $63, states the report. Only 14 per cent of the solo mothers interviewed had incomes of $6O or more. Conversely, of the 36 unmarried mothers interviewed, five had no income, eight had less than $2O and the remainder (two-thirds) had less than $4O a week. Income was derived from many sources, however, nearly nine out of 10 widows were on a benefit, compared to about half of i the divorced, legally separated and living apart, and i only two out of 10 of the I unmarried mothers. In addition to the benefit, supplementary assistance, obtainable in cases of ex-t treme financial hardship, was being received by half of the divorced, separated and those living apart. Few widows and no unmarried mothers received it. ‘SUBSISTENCE’

With few exceptions, all those who had lived on a benefit alone had found it insufficient. They felt that they had been living at a mere subsistence level. Some chose to find a job, but others were unable to find employment with few enough hours for their earnings not to affect their benefit. Problems arose when household furniture or appliances needed replacing or repairing, or additional money was needed for their children’s school expenses. A few found that their benefit had not covered even basic food and clothing. The latter had been rescued by relatives, friends or voluntary organisations. Maintenance, for those entitled to it, was also a contentious area. Over half of the unmarried mothers had

no arrangements, acknowledgement of paternity being a prerequisite. Among the three formerly married groups, only six out of every 10 women received their maintenance as arranged. And some commented that the amounts were “meagre” or “unrealistic.”

Those, whose husbands had defaulted, claimed that they had either left the country or could not be traced: that their husbands had refused to pay as order-

ed by the courts; a few said that their husbands did not pay in order to be “malicious”; and there were those who mentioned the husband’s inability to find employment; ill health, or the demands of a second family on his income. Many of the women expressed the feeling that the men “should not be allowed to get away with it,” and it was “unfair” that they could leave the country or “just disappear.” HOUSING In the area of housing “one of the most startling beforeand after changes revealed by the survey related to the numbers who had moved since the change in their status” says the report. Fifty-four per cent had moved. Among the divorced, legally separated and unmarried, three put of every five women had moved. There was a drop in home ownership and a rise in the number of women renting. However, the greatest gain was the State housing where the percentage doubled to a quarter of all solo parents in the survey. Children in State housing rose from a minimum of 109 children bef.ore, to at least 214 after. Only among widows, and those living apart (perhaps because their situation represents a transitional one between marriage and legal dissolution) were a substantial number of women still living at the same address. As in other areas examined in the survey, an age factor seemed to be at work. The older a woman, the greater were her chances of owning her own house; the younger, the more likely was it that she would be living either with her parents or renting accommodation. Again, where the husband had been in the professional, managerial or semi-professional categories, the higher was the women’s chances .of being in her own home. NEIGHBOURS More than a third of the women mentioned difficulties in finding suitable accommodation, but only 68 women had adverse comments to make about the neighbourhood in which they found themselves. . C.omments ranged from those who said it was “a second Coronation Street” to those who felt that they were being ostracised and criticised by their neighbours. Those who were neutral in their comments often added that “it was all right if you kept to yourself and did not speak to anyone’s husband.”

However, over a quarter of the women interviewed had favourable comments to make about their neighbours, saying that they supported them in many ways including help with baby sitting.

Over half of the women were in paid employment. Among them, only one in five were working 20 hours or less a week. A further 20 per cent would have liked to get a job of some kind, but were prevented from doing so either by the age of their children, their own health or that of their children, or the fear that they would affect their benefit.

Again, there was a marked age difference between the number ,of women working and those choosing to remain at home. Fewer than half of those women under 30 were in paid employment: the highest proportion being in the 30 to 44 age group where 102 out of the 167 women were working. The ratio was a little less in the group ovet 45. SERVICE JOBS The number of children still at home also affected a women’s decision to work. Predictably, those with only one child at home were more likely to be working than those women with several pre-schoolers. Where the youngest child was of primary school age, twothirds of the women were working, and there was a further slight increase where the youngest child was at secondary school. Typically, over half of the women were in clerical, sales, housekeeping, waitressing and other service jobs. But over a quarter, because of responsibilities to children, were working at home or in the neighbourhood: doing housework, caring for other children, dressmaking, craftmaking, nursery or play-centre work.

More than a third of the women said that they were working solely for the money, and would not otherwise be doing so. Some were unhappy about the long hours that the job entailed; others with the rate of pay and felt that they were being “exploited” by their employers because they!

were limited to $l3 a week by their benefit. One woman with five young children who worked at home as a machinist was rewarded with $9 a week for her 25 hours. DISSATISFACTION

A fifth of the women were unhappy about the way their working hours fitted in with their children’s hours. Arrangements included care by friends, relatives, registerel child care centres, paid sitters. However, nearly half f the women indicated that their children looked after themselves before or after school. One woman left her primary-school age children alone in the house at night while she worked because she could not afford a babysitter.

The majority of women, however, expressed satisfaction with their employer’s attitudes toward time off with sick children.

Other significant areas touched on by the report include the health of the mothers, problems of loneliness, the social life of the mothers, and the welfare of their children.

The publicaticn, “Solo Mothers,” will be launched by the society at. a public meeting at the Limes Room tomorrow evening. The Minstier of Justice (Dr Finlay) Will address the meeting.

Copies of the publication may be obtained for $2.75 from the society, P.O. Box 158, Christchurch.

Anne Hargreaves helped supervise the research for “Solo Mothers.”