Are you raising your children on your own? You are not alone: single parent families are increasingly common in the EU. Single parents face several challenges, as you may well know. Perhaps you have struggled to balance your professional and private life, or have dealt with inflexible work contracts, lack of childcare, or poor job security. Unfortunately, many single parent families struggle with finances: families with only one breadwinner have a higher risk of poverty, homelessness and social exclusion.

The EU is committed to boosting the economic independence of single parents – particularly mothers – to prevent parents and their children from experiencing poverty or exclusion. National governments are responsible for social security, and family benefits for single parents differ greatly across Europe. However, the EU has sought to clarify and improve this situation by proposing to coordinate EU social security systems.

One of the hardest aspects of parenthood to manage – especially as a single parent – is the balance between work and home. During the COVID-19 pandemic, healthy work–life balance became even harder to sustain. The EU promotes work–life balance through rules making parental leave of up to four months more accessible and flexible. As a parent, you have the right to take parental leave until you child is eight years old, and to flexible working arrangements while your child is under eight. The EU also helps ensure that good quality early childhood education and care are available, especially for children from disadvantaged backgrounds.