Single mothers ■

No group of people is at greater risk of poverty than single mothers. Many divorced women who become trapped in a low-income cycle. Many of her divorced friends have asked for her legal advice in the past.

Here's why so many children in single-parent households struggle:

• a typical woman faces a wage gap just for being female (in 1991, non-mothers made 90 percent of a man's wages)
  
• motherhood increases the chance of discrimination (the pay gap between mothers and non-mothers is 17.5 percent
• in the case of divorce, a woman's income takes a nosedive (a father's income usually rises after a divorce)
• 40 percent of U.S. single mothers live at the poverty level
• child support is sometimes irregular, with lower-income families being least likely to receive it consistently
• a single mother is more likely to take a low-paying job or to be unemployed
  
• low-income jobs are usually the least family-friendly (if she doesn't have sick leave, for example, she could get fired for staying home with a sick child)

As a single mother with vital demands upon a limited income, a woman's options are limited. She might feel trapped as she contemplates what she might do to increase her family's standard of living. (Read one single mother's story from the Ensign here.) If she wants to go back to school, when and how? She can't afford to give up her job, and she doesn't know where the money for tuition will come from.

The nearest LDS Employment Center is a good place to begin. These centers, with offices throughout the world, can provide resources such as aptitude and interest tests and information about financial aid. And going back to school is another option, especially if financial assistance and/or evening or online classes are available.

Some scholarships for single mothers:

• states, colleges, and universities offer their own scholarships for non-traditional students (check your state's and your school's website)
• single parent scholarship from LDS Business College.
• the Jeanette Rankin Foundation Scholarship Program
• the Patsy Takemoto Mink Education Foundation
• Women's Independence Scholarship Program

Of course, single mothers who have completed their educations like Carol also face challenges balancing work and family life. Employers with single mothers on their staff can help in several ways.

• flexibility allows single mothers to work their hours around their children's schedules.
• tuition reimbursement, continuing education, and other programs can encourage career advancement
• child care assistance
  
• paid sick leave helps a mother take care of herself or a sick child without the threat of lost income

"Despite the pain that being separated from my children brings, there is also a deep satisfaction that I can provide for them in ways that no one else will. I feel deeply humbled and blessed that I am able to do both, in some ways to be both mother and father to them when they need it."

-Kirsi D.

_“We did a study that found if there wasn’t a wage gap, the poverty rates for single moms would be cut in half, and the poverty rates for dual earner families would be cut by about 25 percent.”

-The Institute for Women's Policy Research