Children raised by single mothers do not suffer
A study has found that children brought up by a single mother are no more likely to show signs of behavioural disorders than their counterparts raised in traditional families.
Some experts have expressed concerns that children brought up by a single-mother-by-choice may suffer due to a lack of a father figure.
The study has revealed that children brought up by a single-mother-by-choice do not have poor well-being.
The study compared 69 single-mothers-by-choice who had knowingly chosen to raise the child by themselves and 59 mothers from heterosexual two-parent families with a child between that ages of one-and-a-half and six.
Most women in the study were financially stable, received higher education and had meaningful partner relationships in the past.
The study compared the two different family types of parent-child relationships, mothers’ social support network and children’s well-being.
The results of the study found there was no significant differences in emotional involvement or parental stress between family types.
Research assistant Mathilde Brewaeys from the University of Amsterdam said, “Children in both family types are doing well in terms of their well-being.”
“Single-mothers-by-choice and their children benefit from a good social support network, and this should be emphasised in the counselling of women who want to have and raise a child without a partner.”
Single mothers were found to have a large support network made up of family, friends and neighbours.
The findings of the study were presented at the 33rd Annual Meeting of European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology in Geneva.