Breaking the Single Parent Poverty Trap (CSW6…

Single parent poverty is still a reality for millions of lone mothers and their children around the world. In times of high inflation rates, conflict and climate change, income-poor lone mothers more than ever need targeted public policies providing, inter alia, appropriate social transfers and high-quality flexible childcare services, access to education and labor market regulation allowing them to access and obtain decent employment. However, debt crises in the Global South and austerity measures in the Global North lead to shrinking budgets. Gender advocates are alarmed by the global anti-gender backlash and its effects on social policies. Accordingly, progressive governments increasingly face an antifeminist discourse stigmatizing lone mothers and questioning public support. This event will discuss the complex risks, causes and consequences of single parent poverty, with a focus on lone mothers, highlighting best practices and promising policies to prevent and to end poverty. It will highlight intersectional approaches to design programmes for and with lone mothers and discuss strategies to implement these policies in a challenging political environment.