Single motherhood and poverty: the case of the Netherlands

Single mothers in the Netherlands run a high risk of poverty, although the Netherlands is one of the richest and most developed welfare states in the world. This study is based on life histories of single mothers from different ethnic backgrounds. It makes clear that poverty is not only in terms of material deprivation. By analyzing how single mothers shape their daily lives, this study highlights the social, cultural and structural dimensions of poverty. In a context of a constant lack of money, give the interviewed women to shape their daily survival. They develop a wide range of survival strategies. They share with social support from family and friends, they fight for respect and are proud that their children a "proper" manner upbringing. In recent decades the number of households with single mothers has grown rapidly, not only in the Netherlands, but worldwide. This study contributes to a better understanding of this profound transformation of family households and family relations.