a conference organized by
The Department of Family Studies at the University of Malta
In collaboration with
The Ministry for the Family and Social Solidarity
Improving the Quality of Life
of Lone Parents in Malta
A Mixed Methods Research Study
Prof Angela Abela
Dr Frank Bezzina
Ms Claire Casha
Dr Rose Marie Azzopardi
RATIONALE AND
METHODOLOGY
3
Rationale of the Study (1)
• To our knowledge no large-scale studies on single
parents have been carried out in Malta, in spite of the
fact that according to the last census, 10,631 single
parents were heading a family with at least one child
under 18 (NSO, personal communication, 2014,
November 27); this constitutes 9% of all households
with 2 or more persons
• Our conceptual framework is systemic and takes into
account the sociocultural context as well as the
relationships single parents enjoy with their support
networks
4
Rationale of the Study (2)
• Due importance was given to gainful
employment as a way of improving quality
of life for single parent families
• We therefore chose to focus on all singleparent families in Malta and Gozo whose
youngest child is aged 3 to gauge how
many of them were already employed
before their child started school and how
many were aspiring to work in the
foreseeable future
5
Main Research Questions
• Which factors make it difficult for a single parent to seek
employment and how important is each of these factors (RQ1)?
• Which factors make it difficult for a single working parent to stay
in work and how important is each of these factors (RQ2)?
• What are the sources of support for single parents (RQ3)?
• Which factors can significantly predict whether a single parent
works or not (RQ4)?
• Which factors can adequately distinguish between single
parents who are on social benefits (as a proxy for poverty) and
those who are not (RQ5)?
6
Research Methodology (1)
• The questionnaire, entitled Improving the Quality of Life of
Lone Parents in Malta, was purposely designed for the
present study
• In designing the questionnaire, the following sources were
used: Collins, Gray, Purdon, & McGee (2006); Edin &
Kefalas (2011); Edin & Lein (1997); National Commission
for the Promotion of Equality (2012)
• This was administered face-to-face in respondents’ homes
- interviews lasted around an hour
• Fieldwork was carried out between March 2014 and
September 2014 by a team of 29 trained interviewers,
most of whom had a background in the helping
professions
7
Research Methodology (2)
•
Interviewers visited the homes of 776 prospective participants – this
was the population of single parents having a three-year-old child
based on the 2011 census conducted by NSO
•
Of these 776:
- 161 were ineligible: 60 had married, 100 had a youngest child not
aged 3, 1 had married and her youngest child was not aged 3;
- 106 either had addresses which did not exist (42) or had moved house
(64);
- 159 could not be contacted;
- 100 refused to participate;
- 250 completed the questionnaire
•
Total response rate was 40.7%
8
DEMOGRAPHICS
9
Sample Size Determination
• With a population of 615, and assuming
95% confidence in the data, a 5% tolerated
margin of error, and assuming that 50% of
the sample will have the specified attribute
(worst scenario) the minimum sample size
required is 237
• With a sample of 250, our study exceeded
the required minimum sample size
10
Breakdown of
Sample and Population Demographics
Demographic Characteristic
Sample
Population
Gender
Male
Female
0 (0.0%)
4 (0.7%)
250 (100.0%)
611 (99.3%)
Fisher’s exact test: p = 584
Civil Status*
Single, never married
209 (83.6%)
528 (85.9%)
Separated
25 (10.0%)
56 (9.1%)
Other*
16 (6.4%)
31 (5.0%)
18-22
42 (16.8%)
72 (11.7%)
23-27
81 (32.4%)
200 (32.5%)
28-32
61 (24.4%)
163 (26.5%)
33-37
35 (14.0%)
100 (16.3%)
38-42
24 (9.6%)
61 (9.9%)
43-47
5 (2.0%)
19 (3.1%)
Secondary
148 (59.2%)
373 (60.7%)
Post-Secondary
77 (30.8%)
195 (31.7%)
Tertiary
25 (10.0%)
47 (7.6%)
Employed
122 (48.8%)
243 (39.5%)
Unemployed
45 (18.0%)
42 (6.8%)
Inactive
83 (33.2%)
330 (53.7%)
Age
χ2(2) = 1.356, p = 0.508
χ2(5) = 7.83, p = 0.166
Level of Education
χ2(2) = 2.051, p = 0.359
Employment Status
*Includes divorced, widowed and single after annulled marriage
χ2(2) = 71.16, p < 0.001
11
Respondents Were Currently…
•
75.9% were looking after their home or family
•
48.8% were employed/self-employed
•
16.8% were looking for a job
•
2.8% were waiting to start a job
•
7.6% were in education
•
1.2% were on a training scheme
•
8.8% were caring for a sick or disabled person
•
6.0% were caring for a sick or disabled child
•
0.8% were doing voluntary work
•
0.4% were temporarily sick/disabled
•
0.4% were permanently sick/disabled
12
WORK STATUS AND
ORIENTATION
13
Work Status
•
•
•
•
•
•
28.4% Full Time
4.4% Full Time Reduced
15.2% Part Time
0.8% Full Time & Part Time
18.0% Unemployed
33.2% Inactive
14
Awareness of
Government Schemes
50.4% did not know that if lone parents who
receive social benefits and have been
unemployed for more than two years start
working and earn not less than the minimum
wage, they will continue to receive:
- 65% of the social benefit during the first year of
employment
- 45% of the social benefit during the second
year
- 25% of the social benefit during the third year
15
Informal Work
• 11 respondents were working on an informal basis:
- 3 mentioned that informal temporary work is more
convenient and easier to combine with child rearing
- 3 mentioned not having relief benefits deducted as
reason for working informally
• Of the 122 respondents working, 13 gave reasons
against informal work:
- 10 cited law-abiding reasons
- 3 cited pension eligibility
16
Aspirations and Expectations
of Those Not Working
Note: Statistically sig. differences for:
move home [χ2(1) = 5.63, p = 0.018]
get a paid job [χ2(1) = 12.99, p < 0.001]
17
Job Aspirations and Current Jobs
18
RQ (1): Reasons for Not Working
From 18 possible reasons
• the four big factors were related to:
- child care
- lack of trust in formal and informal childcare
- few suitable job opportunities
- employers who are not so family friendly
• the two small factors were related to:
- lack of qualifications
- lack of experience
19
Group I: Not in work,
did not mention that they would like/expect to work,
did not think of returning to work
31 respondents in this category (37.3% of all those who were inactive)
Priorities over the next few years for these respondents:
‘to stay at home and bring up the children’ (93.5%)
‘looking after a sick/disabled/elderly person’ (38.7%)
‘building/maintaining a good relationship with my family’ (32.3%)
‘getting somewhere permanent to live’ (25.8%)
‘building my self confidence’ (19.4%)
‘getting some/more qualifications’ (12.9%)
‘looking after a sick or disabled child’ (12.9%)
‘managing own health condition/disability’ (9.7%)
‘doing some voluntary work’ (9.7%)
‘emotionally coming to terms with break-ups in my relationship’ (6.5%)
‘managing own drug/alcohol problem’ (3.2%)
20
RQ (2):
What Makes it Difficult to Stay in Work?
From 18 possible reasons:
• no big factors emerged as prominent
• two small factors emerged:
- worried about not having enough time
with children
- finding it stressful to combine work
and family life
21
Currently in Work:
What Made Work Possible
• 45.5% claimed that something changed
that made it possible to work:
- their children started school
- they needed to earn money
- their mother/father/mother-in-law
became a pensioner
• This group was more likely to have more
children than the other group
22
SUPPORT NETWORKS
23
RQ (3): Support Networks
• Practical support received from:
- mother (a lot), father (a fair amount), child’s father*
and their siblings (a little)
• Emotional/psychological support received from:
- mother (a lot), father and siblings (fair amount)
• Financial support received from:
- 10-30 euros from the child’s father per week (fair
amount), up to 10 euros from their mother per week
(a little amount)
24
How Helpful is Child Care?
• 11.8% make use of formal childcare, with
34.5% of these sending their children to
Klabb 3-16 on average 4 times a week,
circa 15 hours per week
• Out of the remaining 88.1%:
- 39.2% prefer to raise the children
themselves
- 35.7% prefer to use family and friends
- 25.1% prefer some other arrangement
25
Use of Klabb 3-16
(after Kindergarten/School Hours)
If they were to find a job:
- 57.4% would consider making use of
Klabb 3-16
- 31.6% prefer friends or relatives
- 11.0% gave another reason such as just
sending them to school or unaffordable
childcare
26
Positive/Very Positive
Opinion of Childcare Centres
• The respondents have a positive opinion of childcare centres
(Md=4, R=1-5)
• Beneficial for child’s development (85 responses)
• Beneficial but not at a very young age; Beneficial but not for
long hours (1 response each)
• Useful for parents who cannot rely on other childcare (46)
• Useful for working parents (43)
• Excellent carers (16)
• Direct or indirect positive experience (15)
• Safe environment (13)
• Positive although still prefer parents’ rearing (4)
27
Neither Positive Nor Negative
Opinion of Childcare Centres
• 34 responses related to not having
any idea of childcare centres or
never having experienced them
• 27 related to concerns about
negative features of the childcare
centres
28
Negative/Very Negative
Opinion of Childcare Centres
• Few rated childcare centres negatively
• Reasons cited included:
- parents’ rearing is best (5 responses)
- do not approve of the way they handle
children (2)
- long hours and not educational; only
for those who need it (1 response each)
29
Relationship with
Youngest Child’s Biological Father (1)
• The mean age of the youngest child’s father was just
over 30 yrs (M =31.68, SD = 7.95, R = 20-67)
• Education: Primary and secondary 78.1%, post
secondary 16.5%, tertiary 4.1%
• Occupations are mainly un/skilled labourers with the
exception of 4 professionals
• 34% reported that biological father was their current
partner:
- more likely to be employed [p = 0.03]
- spent more time with children [p < 0.01],
- offered more practical [p < 0.01 ], emotional [p <
0.01] and financial support [p < 0.01].
30
Relationship with
Youngest Child’s Biological Father (2)
• Fathers of those lone parents whose
current partner is the biological father
spend circa 24 hours a week with the
child; the others spend 9 hours
• 42.8% of those not in a relationship still
on speaking terms, 19.6% are not, while
37.6% gave no answer
• The reaction of the child’s father
towards the pregnancy was ‘positive’
(Md = 4, R = 1-5).
31
Positive Descriptors of Fathering
32
Negative Descriptors of Fathering
33
PREGNANCY
34
64% of Pregnancies
Were a Surprise
Among those who claimed that the pregnancy was a surprise, the
elaborated responses address different stages and facets of the
experience namely:
- the context within which the pregnancy happened,
- their reactions to the news,
- the challenges around breaking the news to parents,
- the effects on their lifestyle,
- the impact of the father,
- the role of support networks,
- the outcome of the relationship with the father,
- and the personal growth surrounding the whole experience.
35
Effects of Pregnancy on Lifestyle
• Interruptions in:
- study
- work
• Financial concerns
• Pressure of having other children to
take care of
36
Elaborations Around
Planned Pregnancy (27.2%)
• “We were happy at the time. We broke up later” (16)
• “We were in a long-term relationship and I/we wanted a child”
(6)
• Planned pregnancies within abusive relationships, broke up later
(4)
• “I wanted more than one child; We wanted children together” (3
responses each)
• “We were married and planning a family; We were old and
mature enough; No problems with family; Pressure from other
children” (2 responses each)
• “We wanted children but broke up when I found out I was
pregnant; We were getting older; I was well supported; It felt OK;
We thought a baby would solve our family problems but things
got worse instead’’ (1 response each)
37
LIFE EXPERIENCES
38
Family Background
• 32.9% came from a family where the main
breadwinner was unemployed for an
extended period of time
• Lone mothers who are currently not
working were more likely to have the main
breadwinner in the family of origin
unemployed for an extended period of time
• 18.3% had parents who were separated
39
Family Background
40
Childhood Behaviours
of Single Parents
• 62.7% did not exhibit any challenging behaviour
• Of the other 37.3%:
- 24.1% played truant
- 16.1% dropped out of school before 16
- 14.1% absented from school
- 3.2% resorted to illegal drugs
- 2.0% had drinking problems
- 0.8% promiscuity, crime and shop lifting
41
PERCEPTIONS OF SITUATION AND
ASPIRATIONS FOR FUTURE
42
How They Viewed Themselves
Compared to Married Parents
• Worse off (156): lack of resources; traditional family is a
better environment
• The same (137): some said they are ‘no less’ indicating
reaction to implied prejudice; parenting was just as good
• Better (20): prefer to raise children by themselves rather
than in conflictual relationships; gave them more
opportunity for independence, flexibility and time with their
children; more financially feasible to live with parents than
with partners
• I don’t compare myself to others (4): reasons are
vague: implied possible resistance to making comparisons
• Mixed feelings (2): could be better off or worse off in
married relationship; preference for healthy household
relationships over marriage for its own sake
43
What They See as Important
for Children’s Bright Future
•
A good education and career (177)
•
Love and understanding (78)
•
A good upbringing (75)
•
Continuous support and backing (25)
•
Financial resources (19)
•
Good health (18)
•
Time (17)
•
Unity in the family (15)
•
Tranquillity in the family (14)
•
Stability (13)
•
Good company and behaviour; Maintaining a good relationship with
them; Presence and support of both parents (12 responses each)
•
Parents’ hard work (11)
44
What They Can Do
to Help Child Achieve Bright Future
Eight important themes:
• Parenting skills (276)
• Children’s education (89)
• Financial resources (49)
• Relationship with partner (18)
• Upbringing environment (17)
• Children’s good health (5)
• Self-improvement (3)
• Instil faith in them (1)
45
PREDICTING
SOCIAL BENEFIT STATUS
AND WORK STATUS
46
RQ (4): Which factors can
significantly predict whether
a single parent is on social benefits or not?
Single mothers who are receiving social
benefits are more likely to:
- be younger [p < 0.01]
- have a lower level of education [p <
0.01]
- not be in a relationship with the
biological father of the child [p < 0.01]
47
RQ (5): Which factors
can significantly predict
whether a single parent works or not?
We can conclude that the likelihood that
lone parents work, increases with:
- education [p < 0.01]
- emotional support [p < 0.01]
48
PARTICIPANTS’
POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS
49
Participants’
Policy Recommendations
• Out of 250 respondents, 16 were happy with
current provisions
• 3 respondents indicated that lone parents feel
misunderstood and pushed aside and feel that
better attention should be given to their specific
situations
• 2 called on the Government to take steps to reduce
discrimination and prejudice with regard to lone
parents and disabled people
• Respondents felt that better provisions can be
made in the following areas and services
50
Financial Support
in Terms of Social Benefits
• Social benefits are to be increased (68)
but also suggested:
• Benefits not to be reduced for: working parents (29);
lone parents with partners (3); those living with
parents (1)
• Graded means-tested social benefits (9)
• Better monitoring on spending of social benefits (4)
• Better provision of information regarding benefits;
More distinctions between allowances for working
parents and basic rates; Introduction of annual bonus
(1 response each)
51
Benefits for Children
• More financial help in the early years (4)
• Some benefits should go directly to the
children (2)
• Children to receive equal allowances;
More frequent children’s allowance (1
response each)
52
Participants Also Called for…
• A lower cost of living (7)
• Bank loan provisions (5)
• More support for disability (4)
• Subsidized utility bills (2)
• Food provision for all the family (1)
53
Housing
• Provide Government housing (41)
• Subsidies on house purchases or house
furnishing (8)
• More adequate housing; Reduction in
housing costs (5 responses each)
• Fairness in Government housing; Removal
of free housing (1 response each)
54
Employment
• Work with flexible hours (27); Teleworking (4)
• Sick leave for when children are sick (7); Longer
parental leave (2)
• Incentives for parents to work when children grow
older (3)
• Incentives for employers to employ lone parents;
Support for self-employed businesses for lone
parents (2 responses each)
• Enforce good conditions of work (1)
• Help finding work (18)
• Higher wages (10)
55
The Role of the Education System
in Supporting Children
in Lone Parent Families
• Improve schools (2)
• More and better-trained LSAs (2)
• Re-introduce streaming (1)
• School transport for Kinder and pre-Kinder (1)
• Subsidies on: school essentials (15); extracurricular activities (4); private schooling (2);
examination fees (1); private lessons (1)
56
Parental Education and Support
• Training courses (7)
• Support lone parents studies (6)
• Parenting skills; Psycho-social support
(4 responses each)
• Sexual education (1)
57
Health
• Subsidies on medicines (4)
• Better Health Centres (3)
• Free immunization (1)
58
Rights of Custody & Maintenance
• 2 respondents called for enforcement of regular
maintenance by court
• 1 called for quicker court decisions for custody
rights
• 1 felt that the right of custody allowed to the
father of her child was unfair
• 1 stated that right of custody should be equal
between parents
• 1 wanted to remove unknown father listing
59
Public Transport and
Playing Fields
• Improvement of public transport for
parents who do not drive (1)
• Adequate playing fields where these are
lacking (1)
60
POLICY PROPOSALS
AND
SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH
61
The Need for
Continuing Education
• A good education beyond compulsory level
is important; not only does it guarantee
employability but also the possibility of
upward mobility
• In this respect Youth Guarantee is an
excellent initiative that merits to be
extended beyond those who are 23 or
younger to all those who are interested in
improving on their current standard of
education
62
The Need for a Systemic
Early Intervention Link between
the Family, the Health Service,
the Community and the School
• For more than one third of single parents,
childhood school experience & family of
origin background point towards an
intergenerational transmission of poverty
• Systemic early intervention and
interventions that make the link between
the family, the health service, the
community and the school are warranted
63
The Need for Information
Campaigns for Single Parents
• The introduction of free child care for single
parents is a step in the right direction. However
a number of mothers are misinformed about the
service.
• They are also unaware of a number of other
initiatives (e.g. work on tapered benefits)
offered to single parents
• Information campaigns targeting single parents
on the availability of incentives aimed at
increasing their formal participation in the
labour market are warranted
64
Person-centred Employment Advisors
are Needed to Meet
Aspirations and Expectations
of Those Not Working
• Single parents do not expect to meet their aspirations
when thinking about their life projects. Topmost job
aspirations of single parents such as working as a
salesgirl, seem to go against their need for a better
reconciliation between work and family
• Many of those who succeed in finding a job do so in
particular stages in the family life cycle e.g. when
their parents become pensioners and/or their children
start school
• These findings suggest that employment advisors
need to get to know their clients really well to be able
to help them plan for their future
65
Group I: Attending to the Needs
of a Vulnerable Group
• The needs of Group I particularly suggest that
this is a vulnerable group with little support
(with 38.7% looking after elderly/sick parents,
12.9% looking after sick/disabled children, and
19.4% lacking in self confidence)
• More specialised professionals are needed to
support this population group, some of whom
may have too many barriers to leave their
families and go into the world of work
66
The Importance of Child Care
• There is an increasing acceptance of
child care services by single parents
• It is of utmost importance to maintain
high standards in the quality of child
care services in Malta as otherwise the
confidence gained by those who have to
rely on such a service to get into the
labour market may easily dwindle
67
Combating Barriers
in Employment
• In return for the benefit offered to
employers for making jobs available,
providing one-day training per week to the
employee may lead to better employability
and job mobility by helping single parents
improve their level of education
• Family friendly measures by employers in
return for the benefit offered may also
facilitate job retention
68
The Need for
Relationship Education
• The stories by single parents of the break-up with
the father of their child after the pregnancy highlight
the need for relationship education
• Special relationship courses may be set up for
single parents as part of their Parent Craft course
• Relationship education needs to be given more
emphasis in schools and has to start from a very
young age and go beyond sex education to stress
the importance of personal responsibility and
mutual respect over time in relationships
69
Suggestions for
Further Research (1)
• Given the limitation of this study, i.e. the fact that we
succeeded in interviewing a significantly smaller number of
inactive single parents, studying those single parents who are
following Youth Guarantee would make such a population
more accessible and more available to study
-
Youth Guarantee as an initiative
-
the motivations and aspirations of the young single
parents
-
the development of their children
• Track those benefitting from the tapered benefits scheme
longitudinally
70
Suggestions for
Further Research (2)
• Study the fathers who pursue a romantic relationship with the
mothers of their children. What contributes to the thriving of
such relationships?
• Study those parent couples who stay on speaking terms in
the best interest of their offspring in spite of the fact that they
are no longer together as a couple. What helps or hinders
such relationships?
• Elicit narratives from single mothers (19.6%) who severed
relationships with the father of the child about why and how
the contact with the father stopped
• What factors predict positive educational outcomes for the
children of lone parents?
• Narratives of grandmothers who support lone parents to
succeed
71
References
• Collins, D., Gray, M., Purdon, S., & McGee, A. (2006).
Lone parents and work: Developing new survey
measures of the choices and constraints (Department for
Work and Pensions Working Paper No. 34). Leeds,
England: Corporate Document Services.
• Edin, K., & Kefalas, M. (2011). Promises I can keep: Why
poor women put motherhood before marriage. Berkeley,
CA: University of California Press.
• Edin, K., & Lein, L. (1997). Making ends meet: How single
mothers survive welfare and low-wage work. New York,
NY: Russell Sage Foundation.
• National Commission for the Promotion of Equality (2012).
Longitudinal research study: The life prospects of teenage
parents (Research Findings Report). Blata l-Bajda, Malta:
Author.
72
Any Questions?
73