Research

Single-Parent Families in Singapore: Understanding the Challenges of Finances, Housing and Time Poverty

2015 | Unmet Social Needs Download the Report

This publication documents the unmet social needs of single-parent families in Singapore. It specifically focuses on four key areas; employment and finance, housing, social networks and time poverty. 88 low-income single parents across Singapore shared their stories through in-depth interviews, displaying the complexity and interplay of the issues they faced.

Our findings display the huge responsibility that single parents carry as they balance the caregiving and financial needs of their family, alongside negotiating policies that are largely suggested to support the “traditional” family structure. This publication offers suggestions on improving support systems to offer long-term solutions, rather than short term fixes, to the issues faced by single-parent families.