UpliftHER Initiative: Single Mothers
Once a quarter, we will focus on an obstacle that women and girls face on their path to formal education and economic empowerment. SIA will share information about the obstacle, along with suggested projects that count towards our Big Goal. Clubs can participate in the quarterly project focus by sharing SIA posts and posting their own projects with the hashtag #SoroptimistsUpliftHER.
For March, we will focus on projects that increase access to education for single mothers. Across the diverse countries and territories of Soroptimist International of the Americas, Inc.®—spanning North America, Latin America and the Pacific Rim—there is an unfortunate commonality: single mothers face obstacles to achieving their dreams and providing for their families.
Balancing work or school with childcare, navigating lower wages and combating social stigma—single mothers across our federation endure these struggles every day. Yet, they continue to persevere, fighting valiantly for a brighter future.
Single mothers need our help.
Single Mother Statistics
More than 50% of first-time student parents leave college within six years of enrollment without completing their degree (source: IWPR).
2.7 million single mothers currently attend college in the US (source: IWPR).
Past Live Your Dream awardees identify flexible financial support for things like childcare as the best support to finish their education (source: SIA past recipient surveys).
In Japan, 56% of single-mother households live below the poverty line (source: Borgen Project).
Single mothers in Latin America have the highest unemployment rate of any group (source: The Economist).
North America
In the United States, single mothers pursuing education face enormous barriers to academic success, with financial challenges being the greatest obstacle. Securing necessities like food, housing, transportation, and childcare makes it hard for single moms to complete their degree (source: IWPR). As a result, more than half of first-time student parents leave college within six years of enrollment—without their degree, but often with student loans to repay.
Canadian student parents face similar struggles, but they’re further compounded by the enormous size of Canada and the prevalence of remote areas; the more remote the community, the lower the proportion of women to complete high school and postsecondary education (source: StatCan).
Latin America
While Latin America has the highest rate of households led by a single parent (almost always a mother), the unemployment rate among single mothers, at 9.2%, is higher than for any other group. The informal sector, with few worker protections and low wages, is often the only form of work that provides the flexibility single mothers need to take care of their families (source: The Economist).
Pacific Rim
In Korea, despite the country’s falling birth rate, single mothers still encounter significant social stigma. Employment discrimination is a major hurdle, as background checks reveal their status to potential employers or their child’s school, where children are labeled as extramarital (source: Borgen Project). Additionally, Korea’s wage gap is the worst among the OECD countries with women earning 68% of what men earn (source: Korea Times). Compounded with the social stigma faced by single mothers, many are struggling to achieve an education and support their families.
In Japan, 56% of families headed by single mothers live below the poverty line. This is the highest of all the OECD nations. Despite living in one of the wealthiest countries, single mothers in Japan endure enormous struggles, compounded by the fact that Japanese women earn 30% less than men for the same work (source: Borgen Project). Additionally, it was not until 2024 that joint custody for children was legalized in Japan, taking effect in 2026 (source: APNews). This law requires the sharing of costs for child rearing by the non-custodial parent. Most divorced mothers currently are part-time workers with low incomes, but receive no financial support from their former partners, so this change will be beneficial for the economic status of these women and their families.
Taiwanese single moms face similar struggles, including a lack of economic support and social judgment resulting in pressure on both the parent and children (source: Taiwan Insight).
Meanwhile, the Philippines is the only country in the world (aside from the Vatican) where divorce is illegal due to its predominantly Catholic religious and conservative culture. This lends to the discrimination faced by single mothers in the country along with juggling financial demands of supporting their families through education or work with raising children (source: Institute for War and Peace Reporting).
Take Action
This March, as part of Soroptimists UpliftHER, we’re focusing on the obstacles single moms face and encourage clubs to participate in various ways:
· Spread awareness: Share SIA’s social media posts and graphics to spread the word about the challenges single moms face.
· Share the facts: Share this blog, which highlights the obstacles single moms encounter across our countries and territories.
By providing this support or helping women find other resources, your club can become part of their success story and truly UpliftHER!
Spread awareness about single mothers on social media with these graphics!
Big Goal Accelerator Project Eligibility
If your club has the capacity, one way to support the educational needs of single mothers is to offer childcare support. Financial assistance for childcare during school or training can be life-changing. Our surveys of past Live Your Dream Awards recipients (many are single mothers) indicate that flexible financial support is their number one need to finish their education. Be sure to report it as a Big Goal Accelerator Project (or Live Your Dream Award, if your recipient is a single mother). If your club has another project that provides access to formal education or economic empowerment to a single mother(s), please report it as a Big Goal Accelerator Project and help us reach our Big Goal!
Does your club have a different project that increases access to education for single mothers? We’d love to hear about it! Post about it using the hashtag #SoroptimistsUpliftHER.
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