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The multiple paths of lone parenthood Laura Bernardi

In order to study the multiple facets of lone parenthood, emphasis was placed on various aspects of these families throughout the study. 

1. The multiple pathways of lone parenthood: Diversity of pathways and latent vulnerability

The growing complexity of family forms affects an increasing number of people experiencing lone parenthood at some point in their personal trajectory. Over the past three decades, their profiles have indeed become more diverse. 

The growing complexity of family forms affects an increasing number of people experiencing lone-parenthood at some point in their personal trajectory. Over the past three decades, their profiles have indeed become more diverse. The data analysis carried out in the framework of the project shows that while in the past lone-parenthood mainly concerned widows and, more rarely, young mothers without a partner, today it is mainly made up of divorced or separated women and, to some extent, women who decide to have children alone. During the same three decades, the average duration of lone-parenthood has decreased significantly, due to a very high rate of re-parenting. Added to this already complex picture of lone-parenthood are the increasingly common situations of alternating custody where both parents share a significant portion of the time with the children but separately from each other (Bernardi, Mortelmans, & Larenza, (2018).

As the results of the longitudinal study in French-speaking Switzerland show, the transition to lone-parenthood is often a non-linear and evolutionary process. Its beginning and sometimes even its end are difficult to identify precisely by the persons concerned, who express strong ambivalence in their relationships with their (former) partner(s) and in their family situation (Bernardi & Larenza, 2018). Lone-parenthood is therefore a dynamic process that cannot easily be locked into one-dimensional and fixed definitions. This fluidity of pathways challenges social policies aimed at reducing social inequalities between children from family breakdowns and other children.

Indeed, lone parent families remain a category more likely to experience precariousness. More specifically, the risks appear especially when several factors combine: mother's youth, lack of training, unemployment, health problems (of the children or the mother). Lone-parenthood is thus at the intersection of gender and class inequalities, these are sometimes exacerbated by social structures. The poor integration of women into the labour market and the difficulty of reconciling employment and family life significantly increase the risk of having to resort to social assistance. The weakness of work-life balance policies in Switzerland represents an additional source of stress for lone parents, who have no choice but to assume financial and childcare responsibilities alone (Struffolino & Bernardi, 2017).

Publications for this sub-project 

2. Strong labour market participation contrasts with stereotypical images of the Lone parent as a social assistance beneficiary

Over-represented in social assistance statistics, lone parents are often stigmatized, portrayed as abusers of social assistance and reluctant to work because they raise their children alone. However, research findings suggest the opposite: whether in Switzerland or elsewhere in Europe, lone mothers are more likely to be active and to work long hours compared to mothers living in couples. 

Over-represented in social assistance statistics, lone parents are often stigmatized, portrayed as abusers of social assistance and reluctant to work because they raise their children alone. However, research findings suggest the opposite: whether in Switzerland or elsewhere in Europe, lone mothers are more likely to be active and to work long hours compared to mothers living with a partner. In particular, our analysis of survey data in Switzerland shows that most lone mothers maintain or increase their employment rate during the transition to lone-parenthood (Struffolino, Bernardi & Larenza, 2018). These mothers are proportionally more represented in full-time and high part-time jobs, but at the same time suffer from a proportionally higher unemployment rate than mothers living in a couple. Factors such as age, education level or migration path and region of origin may play a role (Milewski, Struffolino and Bernardi, 2018). These results suggest that the common and easy assumption that social protection measures tend to discourage lone mothers from entering the labour market should be revisited. Rather, the low employment rate among certain groups of migrant lone mothers suggests the following reasons:

  • lower levels of remuneration and job security in low-skilled work sectors
  • lack of social and economic capital needed to provide childcare and to pay for travel from a cheap and outlying housing area

Publications of this sub-project

3. The maladjustment of social policies to the lone parent situation

Through a qualitative analysis of the stories of study participants, our research illustrates how social policies can contribute to the vulnerability of lone parents as stressors, with impacts in several areas of their lives and over time (Larenza, 2019). The study also demonstrates that parents' ability to respond to stressors can be guided by their relationships with significant others in their lives.

Through a qualitative analysis of the stories of study participants, our research illustrates how social policies can contribute to the vulnerability of lone parents as stressors, with impacts several areas of their lives and over time (Larenza, 2019). The study also demonstrates that parents' ability to respond to stressors can be guided by their relationships with significant others in their lives.

Focusing on two specific policy measures, we found, among other things, that the legal framework is not very effective for mothers facing violations of child support payments. Indeed, the lack of financial resources due to these violations can still affect several areas of single mothers' lives. Moreover, not all mothers want to respond to violations, as they face moral dilemmas, involving the other parent and his or her relationship with the children. Some mothers also adjust to total violations by changing their own career paths to cope with the lack of financial resources, which has a negative impact on other areas of their lives.

Secondly, we have discussed the different ways in which lone parents respond to problems in accessing social assistance benefits. Our research shows that parents' responses to these problems depend on their individual resources and the timing of events in their life course. For example, if the separation is recent, parents may have less time to apply for benefits even though they know they could access them. In addition, lack of access to social assistance benefits may not only affect their economic situation, but also lead to a more complex set of changes in other areas of their lives. For example, career development or fulfilling parenting with children may be hindered.

Publications for this sub-project 

4. The health of lone parents and their children

Lone parenthood continues to be associated with multiple disadvantages: poverty and fragmented employment trajectories are combined to poor health. Differences in the health status of lone mothers have been attributed to both their higher levels of psychosocial and financial stress, as they are more likely to work in low-paying jobs and as they need to take care of their children alone. However, and in contrast to other studies, our research has shown that, in the case of Switzerland, lone mothers with post-obligatory education and working full-time have a higher level of well-being. 

Lone-parenthood continues to be associated with multiple disadvantages: poverty and fragmented employment trajectories are added to poor health. Differences in the health status of lone mothers have been attributed to both their higher levels of psychosocial and financial stress, as they are more likely to work in low-paying jobs and as they need to take care of their children alone. However, and in contrast to other studies, our research has shown that, in the case of Switzerland, lone mothers with post-obligatory education and working full-time have a higher level of well-being. 

We also compared the Swiss situation with other European countries (Sweden, Norway, the United Kingdom, France and Germany), in particular by testing the relationship between lone parenting pathways, re-partnering and the health status of mothers (Recksiedler & Bernardi, 2019). The question was: does a new relationship represent additional resources or additional stress in these delicately balanced families? Our results show that the type of public policies in place in each country is very important in defining the impact of re-partnering on maternal health. These results suggest that in countries with public policies that are less generous towards the family, such as Switzerland, maternal health improves with a new union. But at the same time, the family life course of these women tends to be less stable. We interpret these results as an indication that re-partnering may be a partially ineffective strategy in the long run to cope with the lack of resources of lone parents.

We have also studied a case centred on the Spanish situation (Garriga and Bernardi, 2019), a country where alternate custody has recently spread as a family arrangement following breakdowns. We compared the well-being of adolescents living in a lone parent situation to that of adolescents who share their time with both separated parents in a more equal manner. Well-being was measured in terms of satisfaction and assessment of quality of life as well as a series of symptoms indicating psychological discomfort such as difficulty sleeping or somatic symptoms such as frequent headaches. We were particularly attentive to differences among children from disadvantaged families and their peers. Our results suggest that alternating custody is more common for children from more advantaged families and that these children benefit more than children from more disadvantaged backgrounds.

Publications for this sub-project 

  • Garriga, A. and L. Bernardi (2019), Heterogeneity in the effects of children living arrangements on children's health outcomes, Revue des politiques sociales et familiales,n° 131-132 (2e et 3e trimestres) : 207-221.
  • Recksiedler C. and L. Bernardi (2019). Lone Mothers’ Repartnering Trajectories and Health: Does the Welfare Context Matter?  Journal of Family Issues, 40(17), 2582-2604. 
  • https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0192513X19860175
  • Struffolino, E., Bernardi, L., & Voorpostel, M. (2016). Self-reported health among lone mothers in Switzerland: Do employment and education matter? Population, 71(2), 193–222. http://www.journal-population.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/StruffolinoEN.pdf

5. Being a lone parent in times of pandemic

The pandemic has been a major shock that has seriously challenged families’ ability to adapt to sudden changes affecting multiple domains of life. Switzerland established a low-intensity lockdown in the spring of 2020, with social-distancing measures based on official recommendations. Changes to employment situations and working conditions (such as layoffs, temporary unemployment and home-based work) and the need to arrange home-schooling and childcare resulted in significant alterations to family life. Moreover, parents needed to deal with the increased uncertainties generated by this novel context. The project’s fourth wave of interviews, collected in April-June 2020, allowed us to analyze how lone parent families experienced and faced these challenges.

The pandemic has been a major shock that has seriously challenged families’ ability to adapt to sudden changes affecting multiple domains of life. Switzerland established a low-intensity lockdown in the spring of 2020, with social-distancing measures based on official recommendations. Changes to employment situations and working conditions (such as layoffs, temporary unemployment and home-based work) and the need to arrange home-schooling and childcare resulted in significant alterations to family life. Moreover, parents needed to deal with the increased uncertainties generated by this novel context. The project’s fourth wave of interviews, collected in April-June 2020, allowed us to analyze how lone parent families experienced and faced these challenges.

Our findings show that parents who remained employed faced the most time pressures, although their experiences of work-family conflict varied significantly depending on the specifics of their employment situation (on-site or home-based work, hours worked), the degree of employment flexibility and the child(ren)’s degree of autonomy. The majority of participants were both working at home and home-schooling their children. These parents experienced the loss of structure from employment and school schedules as a stressor and most required an adaptation period to adjust to the new situation. Many parents struggled to balance the need for flexibility in work schedules that could facilitate adapting to family demands with enough structure to successfully meet the demands from both domains. Parents with the most conflict between work and family made greater efforts to create structured schedules that might facilitate their articulation.

Our project has also shown how parents navigated through the heightened uncertainty triggered by the outbreak of the pandemic. They struggled to decide how to act in this new environment, as routines broke down and novel situations emerged to which they could not respond on the basis of habitual behaviour. While the management of social contacts and outdoor mobility was generally a source of prolonged uncertainty, the establishment of new routines and habits after a period of adaptation seems to have compensated for the effects of the complexities and ambiguities of the surrounding circumstances. The chronification of uncertainty decreased the capacity to projet oneself towards the future for participants who were in more insecure situations. The experience of being a lone parent, and hence having weathered the adjustment to the shift away from the standard family form and the increased uncertainty and breakdown of everyday structuring associated with it, may have made these parents more resilient in facing the challenges triggered by the pandemic.

Publications for this sub-project

  • Sánchez-Mira, N., Moles-Kalt, B., & Bernardi, L. (2021). Managing uncertainty: Lone parents’ time horizons and agency in the context of the COVID- 19 pandemic. Journal of Family Research, 1–30. https://doi.org/10.20377/jfr-696
  • Sánchez-Mira, N., Bernardi, L., Moles-Kalt, B., & Sabot, C. (2021). The Reshaping of Daily Time during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Lone Parent’s Work-Family Articulation in a Low-Intensity Lockdown. Social Sciences, 10. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci10070239

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Project description: "Lone parenthood"Themes and resultsTeamPublicationsConferences and workshopsEventsKnowledge transfer
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