Single Mothers

What is a Single Mother?

Single mothers are parents who care for one or more children without the physical assistance of the other biological parent. The definition and the legal aspects associated with single mothers may vary according to jurisdictional laws of different regions.

The presence of single mothers may arise for a variety of reasons; typically single mothers assume sole responsibility of their child following an adoption, a divorce, artificial insemination, surrogate motherhood, or the result of an unforeseeable occurrence, such as child abuse, child neglect, abandonment, or the death of the biological father.

Single mothers are responsible for the day to day responsibility of raising the child or children. Depending on the circumstance, a single mother is awarded sole-custody of the child. As a result of this placement, the single mother has the right to receive welfare through government subsidies or child support payments from the biological father. The federal government institutes various programs to alleviate the burden of single mothers; welfare assistance, alimony, food stamps, and other forms of relief are offered to single parents to mitigate the hardships associated with caring for a child.

In addition to the aforementioned forms of relief, both state and federal governments may offer grants, scholarships, and loans to single mothers in need. These programs are offered to help further the single mother’s education as well as provide a form of financial relief to aid in the da to day responsibilities of the child.

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