Single Parents: Social Perceptions, Self-Perception, and Pathways to Empowerment

The research project used the statistically documented potentially and currently precarious socioeconomic situation of many single mothers, as well as the equally documented risk of poverty and social exclusion faced by single-parent households in the work force - and to an even greater extent by single-parent households not in the work force - as a starting point for collecting new empirical data. This was done through focus groups with single parents, supplemented by problem-centered expert interviews with representatives of relevant institutions, initiatives, and NGOs, as well as with researchers and media experts.

The focus was not only on the high proportion of unpaid caregiving, child-rearing, and emotional labor performed by single parents, which—combined with often precarious employment conditions, a lack of career prospects (due to caregiving responsibilities), and financial worries—is frequently a decisive factor in chronic time poverty and exhaustion. The project was also motivated by the prevailing societal image of single parents as particularly vulnerable victims and of single-parent households as deficient families. Against the backdrop of a traditionally conservative Austrian view of the family, which is oriented toward the conservative welfare state, the question also arose as to what extent the situation of single parents has worsened in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, social distancing rules presented single parents with additional challenges in several respects: practically, due to severely limited childcare options, and emotionally, due to social and emotional isolation.

The issues mentioned above make it clear that measures are needed to provide targeted support to single parents in a number of areas: in terms of financial security, promoting participation in the labor market and improving opportunities there, developing better and more flexible models for balancing work, family, and personal life, ensuring effective access to education and continuing education as well as cultural activities, and guaranteeing opportunities for political participation. The extent of stereotyping, as well as the construction and perpetuation of traditional, highly conservative gender and family roles and their impact on the image of single parents, play a significant role in all of the above-mentioned issues and were therefore also the focus of this empirical study.

The research project made it possible to gather more nuanced information about the highly diverse group of single parents (in terms of socioeconomic status, educational and professional backgrounds, employment status and history, migration background, age, place of residence, and the number and ages of their children), as well as to provide a detailed description of the challenges single parents face due to varying circumstances, life situations, and needs. In addition, the self-image of single parents and their perception of how they are viewed by society were analyzed. Another focus of the project was on developing ideas for how to change prejudices, societal images, and stereotypes about single parents, and how single parents can be supported more effectively and in a more personalized manner in light of their diverse problems and challenges.