Single mothers are increasingly running the show with 80% of single-parent families headed by women.
There are 12,905,000 one-parent families in the United States. 10,404,000 are headed by women; 2,501,000 are headed by men.
Ø 47% of women are on their own.
Ø 27% are single.
Ø 20% are divorced, separated or widowed.
Single mothers lack the financial safety net of a spouse.
Ø Only 22% of single working mothers earn more than $30,000 per year.
Ø Only 14% of single working mothers earn more than $50,000 per year.
Ø Only 5% of single working mothers earn more than $75,000 per year.
Single mothers generally fare worse financially than single fathers.
Ø 16% of all single parent male family households live in poverty.
Ø 35% of all single parent female family households live in poverty.
More than 80% of single moms lack the education they need to advance in their career.
Ø 83% of single mothers have a high school diploma.
Ø 33% of single mothers have some college education.
Ø 16% of single mothers have a bachelor’s degree or higher.
Sources: U.S. Census Data and Not Just Getting By!: Single Working-Poor Mothers and Education, Mary Gatta, Ph.D., Center for Women and Work, Rutgers University