Despite the difficulties, it’s time we changed some of the outdated narrative of total despondency, says Lucy Smith
Thank you, Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett, for accentuating the positive that can come with single parenting (I see you, single parents. I see your work, your pain – and your joy, 9 August).
If single parenting is hard, solo parenting – with no partner in the picture at all – is incredibly tough. It forces you to ask for help, which can create a feeling of frustration at best, and shame at worst. Systemic factors in society perpetuate the isolation and inequalities, eg one income having to cover everything, childcare costs, and fewer part-time jobs at senior levels. For many, circumstances are compounded by the slow or impossible-to-contact Child Maintenance Service, which sees many children not receiving timely payments. Yet there is no government strategy that focuses on helping single parents “level up”.
