Navigating Parenthood: Exploring the Lived Experiences of Single Mothers

In Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for Practical Research 1

Iree Balmori

Tony Tubon

Jenneth Fiang

Charyz Jaganas

Michaella Labrado

Rehanna Pangadilan

Jake Sonio

Alexandra Sullera
 Chapter 1

INTRODUCTION

This chapter presents the Background of the Study, Statement of the Problem,

Significance of the study, Scope and Delimitation and the Definition of terms used.

Background of the Study

The single mother has to endure a lot of problems and faces the biggest challenge in

their life, to be a single parent she must be able to hold multiple roles, that is as a father who

works for a family living and as a mother who nurtures and educate the children. A single

parent, she is required to be able to manage everything by herself. Some of them include

financial management, jobs, and nurturing time for her children (Indrayanti et.al, 2018).

For decades, the proportion of U.S. children living with a single parent has increased,

along with a decline in marriage rates and an increase in out-of-wedlock births. A new Pew

Research Center study (2019) covering 130 countries and territories shows that the United

States has the highest number of children living in single-parent households in the world.

Nearly a quarter of American children under 18 live with one parent and no other adult

(23%), more than three times the proportion of children who do (7%). For comparison, 3% of

children live in single-parent households in China, 4% in Nigeria and 5% in India. In

neighbouring Canada, that proportion is 15%. (Stephanie Kramer, 2019).

According to World Health Organization in the year of 2021, the Philippines has

about 14 to 15 million single parents of whom 95 per cent are women. A separate study by

the Philippine Institute of Development Studies also found that eight out of 20 single mothers

are in vulnerable employment positions. Given the negative economic effects of the COVID-

19 pandemic. Senate Bong Go has also implemented various aid-sharing projects to provide

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single-parent households with the help they need to overcome the pandemic and other

emergencies (Senate of the Philippines, 2021).

The research found out that there are different types of struggles that single parent’s

experiences, such as financial problems, emotional problems, difficulty finding work that can

support their daily needs, and parents' struggles to raise their children alone without a partner.

Conversely, there are also single parents for whom being a single parent has a positive

story. These people are single parents by choice. Today, one can become a single parent

through sperm donation or adoption, so it is no longer necessary to have a partner to create a

family. A single parent by choice offers a different perspective on single parenthood since

they voluntarily decide to become a parent on their own, rather than by force.

However, the fact remains that single parents by choice also face the same challenges

as other single parents in balancing their work responsibilities and their parental duties (Dries

Van Gasse et.al, 2020).

The objective of this study is to better understand and recognize the dilemmas faced

by single mothers in their day-to-day life. These include nurturing and parenting, decision-

making, financial support, balancing work and leisure time, emotional support and household

duties. Moreover, to promote positive outcomes, expand knowledge of family dynamics for

mothers and their children.

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Statement of the Problem

This study aims to explore the lived experiences of a single mother in raising their

children.

Specifically, this seeks to answer the following questions:

1.) What are the views of single mothers about themselves?

2.) What struggles and problems they encounter?

3.) What are the coping mechanisms of single mothers?

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Significance of the Study

This study will be conducted to explore and to better understand the lived experiences

of single mothers in raising their children. This study will be beneficial to the following:

Students

Through this study, the students can gain a better understanding of how single

mothers struggle to raise their children and provide for them on their own without any

support from others.

Children of single mothers

Parents In this study, children of solo parents gain an understanding of how their

parents struggle to meet their basic needs and find ways to help lessen and ease their parents'

physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion.

Single mothers

For single mothers, this study will provide insight into their problems and educate

them about the rights and benefits available to them through different livelihood

opportunities.

Community

This study is beneficial to the community by the reason of it will improve the

treatment and services for single mothers and will lead to a productive and peaceful

community. Additionally, it can increase the community's understanding of how single

mothers live and what challenges they face.

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Teachers

The teachers will be able to be aware on the approaches on how to deal with the

children who were raised by single mothers.

Future researchers

This will help the future researchers to make this as a basis in gathering data and to

create a better and more updated research.

Scope and Delimitation

This study focuses on the lived experiences of single mothers in raising their children.

This include emotions , struggles , nurturing and parenting and coping mechanism of single

mothers .The participants of the study are single mothers in Brgy. Poblacion ,Tantangan

South Cotabato. This qualitative research will utilize a phenomenological approach. In

addition, this study will be conducted in the second semester of S.Y. 2022-2023 from May to

June of 2023.

This study is delimits only to single mother’s age ranging from 35-60 years old with -

3- 4 children.

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DEFINITION OF TERMS

Aid –sharing projects - Operationally, this is defined as typically involves the financing of

specific activities, such as building infrastructure, providing education and healthcare

services, or supporting agriculture and rural development (tutor2u.net, 2023).

Emotional exhaustion - Operationally this is define as a condition consisting of extreme

emotional fatigue, feeling detached, and decreased ability to do normal, everyday

activities( Leah Rock well , 2022).

Lived Experience- Operationally, this is defined as a representation of a person’s

experiences and choices and the knowledge they gained as a result.

Livelihoods opportunities - Operationally, this is referred to the opportunities that the rural

individuals get engaged in with the main purpose of sustaining their living conditions.

(Radhika Kapur, 2019).

Mental exhaustion - Operationally, this is defined as a general feeling of mental and

psychological tiredness or lack of energy (SketchBuble.com, 2023).

Out -of - wedlock - Theoretically, this is defined as born when one's parents are not married

(Merriam Webster).

Parenthood - Operationally, this is defined as accepting that you are primarily responsible

for your child’s education, well-being, safety, emotional maturity and eventual attainment of

adulthood.

Single Mothers- Operationally, this is defined as a single parent who has little or no support

from the child’s father.

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Vulnerable employment - Operationally, this is defined as the sum of the employment status

groups of own- account workers and contributing family workers. They are less likely to have

formal work..

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 Chapter 2

Review of Related Literature

This chapter presents the related literature and studies on the lived experiences of

single mothers in raising their children. The chapter also highlights the causes of single

motherhood , dilemmas, coping mechanisms, stereotypes, work-life balance, absence of

father parenting, and view of single mothers on themselves. Those that were included in this

chapter helped the researcher gain information to fully understand the study.

Single Mothers

A single parent is simply one parent who raises a child in their household without a

partner living with them. The single-parent family definition is similar, stating that a single-

parent family is one unmarried adult and all of their legal dependents under the age of 18.

Those dependents can include adopted children, foster children, and even step-children

( Cook and Boyd,2021).

By the Pew Research Center (2013), Single mothers are made up of two major

groups, one consists of mothers with children from a previous marriage and the other consists

of mothers who have never been married. There is also a small group of mothers who are

married but whose spouses are not living in the household. In the past five decades, the share

of never-married mothers among all families with children has increased from less than 1% to

11%. There are significant differences between single mothers who have never married and

those who have children from previous marriages. Never-married mothers are significantly

younger: About 46% of them are aged 30 or younger, and nearly half are in their 30s and 40s.

By contrast, only 11% of divorced, separated or widowed mothers are ages 30 or younger. A

majority of them are in their 30s through age 46 (67%), and about 22% are aged 47 to 65.

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Never-married mothers are disproportionally racial and ethnic minorities. As of 2011, about

40% of never-married mothers were black (compared with 12% of all mothers), 24% were

Hispanic (compared with 19% of all mothers), and 32% were white (compared with 60% of

all). There is much less of a racial skew among mothers who are divorced, separated or

widowed; 17% of them were black, 19% were Hispanic and 58% were white ( Pew Research

Center,2013).

According to the study by Dagupon and Garin (2022) conducted in Barangay

Camanang Urdaneta City, Pangasinan Philippines. The solo parents were primarily women,

in their adulthood, (lived-in) single, were abandoned and betrayed by their partners, with few

children, and the majority were high school graduates. Consequently, they were labourers and

house helpers, earning an average income, and have been a solo parent for a few years.

Physically, solo parents were malnourished and did not maintain regular exercise. They were

mentally and emotionally distressed because they were hurt, resulting in loneliness and being

socially inactive. The majority of respondents were not attending church services, but they

claimed they believed in God, and experienced poverty and financial difficulty, with no

regular income that would sustain their needs. Notably, most of the lone parents utilized

physical, spiritual, and social coping strategies in dealing with their solo parenting problems.

Most of them kept themselves busy with their hobbies, social media, hanging out with

friends, and spiritual coping strategies, which were, familial, and community support groups.

As claimed by Pew Research Center analysis of Census Bureau data, Solo mothers

who are raising at least one child with no spouse or partner in the home no longer dominate

the ranks of unmarried parents as they once did (Livingston 2018).In 2017 the share of

unmarried parents who were solo mothers declined to 53%. These declines in solo mothers

have been entirely offset by increases in cohabitating parents. Also reported in 2019, single

parenting statistics showed that the average age of single mothers was 38, while it was 45 for

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single fathers and around 1% of single parents were teenagers. As far as single-mother

statistics go, nine in ten lone-parent families are headed by a single mother (Johannson 2022)

Causes of Single Parenthood

Death

Hundreds of years ago, the overwhelming cause of single parenthood stemmed from

the death of one of the parents Cook and Boyd (2021). In addition, Hakan (2018) emphasise

that the death of a partner and divorce are the main causes of being a single parent.

Divorce

Married parents who get a divorce are a significant cause of single parenthood, when

a couple splits, one parent is almost always granted primary custody, and the child lives with

that parent. Even if the other parent is involved and contributes to the child's raising, the

primary parent is still legally considered single parent.Cook and Boyd (2021). Moreover,

Children are affected by divorce in many different ways, varying by the circumstances and

age of the child. Children even to twelve are much better at expressing emotions and

accepting parentage breakage, but often distrust their parents, rely on outside help and

support for encouragement, and may manifest social and academic problems ( Hakan, 2018).

Unmarried couples

If two unmarried people have a child and one of the parents does not reside with the

other, the parent who lives with the child is a single parent.

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Absent Parent

An absent parent is when a woman gets pregnant, and the father disappears from the

picture or after the child's birth, one of the parents disappears and does not make contact or

attempt to help the other parent.

Other Factors

Parents can become single parents if the other parent is declared unfit due to drug,

alcohol, or mental health. If there is a history of violence, a judge might take away a parent's

rights, which would leave the other parent as a single parent. Moreover, Johannson (2022)

stated that there are many causes of single parenthood such as Young pregnancy and single

parents by choice. The Department for Education ‘Children looked after in England’ statistics

show that during the year ending on 31st March 2020, 11% of children adopted were taken

on by single adopters

Socioeconomic status

Lopez and San Juan (2019) revealed the Socioeconomic status and livelihood

prospects of solo parents in Catanduanes, Philippines the results revealed that 62% were

under low-income or unemployed conditions and facing financial hardship, while the rest

were engaged in rather stable job opportunities. Common skills among the low-income group

were gathering shells and fishing, food vending and abaca stripping. Abaca production is also

common in this area and utilizes labour-intensive stripping practices. However, daily income

tended to be low and on a non-regular basis. To encourage improvements in their economic

situation, more local-based job opportunities are needed together with the scaling-up of

occupational skills.

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 According to Bergund et al. (2013) presented more detailed experiences of single

parents regarding their specific difficulties, needs, self-perception and marginalization. In

addition, Zarina and Kamil (2012) as cited by Dagupon and Garin (2022) argued that low-

income single mothers are not likely to save. Immediate needs take up most of the resources

and result in accumulating assets and savings as their last priority. They stated that low-

income single mothers reached a low educational level with 98% of them leaving school after

the secondary level.

Single mothers as a whole have the lowest income among all families with children,

never married single mothers are particularly disadvantaged economically. In 2011, the

median family income for never married mothers was $17,400, only slightly over the poverty

threshold of $15,504 for families with one adult and one child, but below $18,123, the

threshold for families with one adult and two children (Pew Research Center, 2013).

Effects of Single-Parent Households

Single-parent households affect both the parent and the child in different ways.

Depending on the situation, the effects are more often negative than positive; however, there

can be many positive outcomes and benefits to a single-parent household. One thing to note

about the effects on parents and children is that they cannot be proven to be directly linked.

The data points to the fact that there are differences in the children in many children of

single-parent homes, but they cannot be directly linked together (Cook and Boyd, 2021).

Negative Effects of Single Parenting on a Child

Children are usually the first ones considered when the negative effects of single-

parent households are studied. One of the most important things to consider is that there tend

to be many underlying factors that lead to a person being a single parent, and those factors

could be what is causing the negative effects. For instance, a divorced mother was awarded

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custody; however, she was depressed, began to drink and do drugs, and was never sober

enough to parent her child correctly. In this case, much of the child's adverse effects could be

attributed to their mother's substance abuse and not to the fact that they were in a single-

parent house (Cook and Boyd, 2021).

Positive effects of growing up with a single-parent

The positive effect of a child growing up in a single-parent house is a strong bond

between the child and the parent. They also have increased responsibilities that lead to self-

confidence and self-reliance and they tend to interact with a larger circle of extended people

(Cook and Boyd, 2021).

Negative effects of being a single-parent

The negative effects of a single parent on a child are academic, social, emotional and

potential substance abuse. The negative effects on the parent are economic, lack of support

and mental and physical fatigue (Cook and Boyd, 2021).

Struggles of single mothers

A single parent brings forth many challenges and responsibilities. Financially, socially

and emotionally a single parent to deal with several added pressures. Raising a child alone

does not only mean that a child does not have a substantial amount of parental guidance.

Rather, it just means that changes need to make to continue the healthy growth of the family

and child (Birara, 2021).

Financial assistance and child support payments

Without financial security to assist with the cost of living and parenting, there may be

unmet needs. Each mother had concerns with stressing over financial security, whether it was

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a fear of not knowing how they would handle the financial burdens entailed with raising a

child as a single parent or whether the worry and wonder came about due to an experience

with struggling with financial insecurity, each mother expressed such distress. Without

financial assistance and child support payments, this would leave these families at a greater

disadvantage (Rhiger, 2019).

Emotional challenges

Single mothers are excessively affected by negative emotions i.e. feelings of

hopelessness, loneliness, irritability, anger and lack of confidence (Birara, 2021). According

to Giulia Macario,( 2009 ) Single mothers faced emotional problems in raising their children.

Emotions can run high anger, sadness, frustration, fear, shock, guilt, regret, relief, hope, and

excitement. Your children might be on this rollercoaster ride of emotions too.

Economic challenges

Single mothers have challenges relating to the economy i.e. the system of production,

home management with materials, child caring with available resources, etc. since, they are

helplessness (Birara, 2021).

Social challenges

Single mothers face challenges of sociability, living together, enjoying life in

communities, and organized groups, since they are single mothers (Birara, 2021).

Money management

According to Macario( 2009), as cited by Birara (2021), money management is

probably the most tangible challenge they face, because now the household only has one

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income versus a dual, monthly stipend. Alterations in spending and lifestyle may need to be

changed when their budget is in a deficit.

Lack of counterparts

In Istanbul, Turkey Single working mothers suffer from a lack of counterparts who

can listen and consider their problems and solution proposals. Their demands cover a wide

range, including better working conditions, higher education opportunities, kindergartens,

and child allowances. They are aware of their problems and necessary solutions, but the

problem is that they do not have the power to make their employers listen to their demands.

They are not aware of others having similar issues to their own and therefore do not see the

importance of coming together and the possibility of forming a union. Due to strict

individualization, they feel lonely in their struggle with life, work, and children ( Girisken,

2021) .

Single mothers on overcoming their struggles

As specified by Spence counselling centre 2020, emphasized that Single parenthood

comes with a unique set of emotional challenges that can feel overwhelming. Most single

parents struggle with the same issues from having no one to tag in, many single parents are

the only ones completely invested in their children. The solution for these is to set up a

support system, All single parents need help whether it’s someone to watch the kids or

someone to assist with housework. Moreover, single mothers are experiencing self-doubt, it

is extremely easy for single parents to feel guilty about the time they don’t have or the things

they can’t do or provide for their children. to this issue is to abolish the word "guilt" and

Focus on day-to-day responsibilities. In addition single mothers are anxious about money,

and many single parents are often economically vulnerable. The minimum wage keeps many

single moms below the poverty level, even when they’re working full-time. The solution for

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these is to define your financial goals. Start by making a budget plan for where your money is

going and where it needs to go.

Flexible Working Strategies

Flexibility in the workplace is one element that is often related to the potential coping

strategies of single parents in their attempt to balance work and family (Anttila and Oinas

2018). The roots of a problematic work–life balance lie in the combination of financial strain

and role strain. In terms of financial strain, the findings of Maldonado and Nieuwenhuis

(2015) show that single parents, mothers especially, have a higher poverty risk, with the

household demands increasing after separation.

Increasing work time, which is one way to reduce financial strain, may increase the

difficulties women face in maintaining the mothering role they want (Thielemans and

Mortelmans 2019). As a result, single mothers have to find a balance between work and life

that eases both the financial and role strain. Flexibility in the workplace may help them to

find the time needed to invest in both roles (Van den Eynde et al. 2019).

Van Gasse and Mortelmans (2017) also argued that flexibility can be categorized

according to its focus on work time (flexitime), on workplace (flexiplace), or on the

organization of work. While flexitime and flexiplace work arrangements might be of

relevance to single parents, the organization of work is generally employer focused.

Therefore, we will not examine the latter here. However, other approaches to work quality

have looked more closely at the idea of flexibility in terms of the content of work (van der

Kleij et al. 2013), resulting in the notion of flexible workplace behavior. From this

perspective, not only can the organization of work be changed to meet the needs of single

parent, but norms and attitudes towards work might also be adapted (Yadav et al. 2016).

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Stereotypes about single mothers

As stated by Herke (2022), in Anglo- Saxon countries where single mothers were

perceived as non-employable citizens and were included in assistance-based benefits for most

of the 20th century. In socialist Hungary and also after the regime change, single mothers

were perceived s working mothers and their state support was embedded in the family

allowance system. In Hungary, they are imagined as poor mothers, who work a lot to make a

living for the family and who lack financial and emotional support. Single mothers are

perceived as deserving based on four deservingness criteria ( control, attitude, reciprocity,

and need).

As determined by Herke ( 2022), the Scandinavian equalizing image of lone mothers

reflects that there is no social gap between single-mother families and the public. This

positive identity, however, seems to be threatened by the growing connection between single

motherhood and minority status in Denmark. Meanwhile, the socialist image of single

mothers concentrates on the working characteristic, which suggests positive scores on the

reciprocity criterion. Based on the socialist image of single mothers, we could hypothesize

that single mothers’ social construction is more positive than negative in Hungary.Single-

parent families in Hungary are not excluded from the benefits in the current family policy

system, but they also do not form a group that the Hungarian government targets with extra

benefits, in contrast to their high risk of poverty or social exclusion. The lack of targeting

could be explained by ideology, as single-parent families do not fit the traditional family

model. Based on this policy setting, the public could see single mothers as under-targeted and

needy in case their perception is positive/deserving (Herke,2022).

In the stereotypical British single mother image, the teenager characteristic (Salter,

2018) is strongly connected to the belief that lone mothers are economically dependent on the

state. These two beliefs suggest a low level of deservingness based on the reciprocity

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criterion, as they were not able to contribute to the work of society previously due to their

young age, and they will not be able to contribute in the future, due to welfare dependency.

As the welfare queen and British single mother stereotypes are constructs of the social threat

discourse, these both emphasize underclass position, the culture of dependency, the

promiscuity of the mothers, and single motherhood as a rational choice to get benefits.

View of Single mothers on themselves

According to Duncan and Edwards (1997) as cited by Taylor and Francis( 2013),

Single mothers, in this case, the study had beliefs about mothering wich set tasks and

responsibilities for them and provided practical and moral reasons for the ways they balanced

child rearing and study, child rearing and work, and mothering and social life. Overall, these

women saw single motherhood as a viable option for themselves. In their views, they were

part of a larger group of single mothers who shared similar life situations: taking care of their

children without their father's support and holding a job.

One young mother compared herself to other teenage mothers when she observed

that, like many of her peers, she had dropped out of school when she became a single mother.

Indeed, dropping out of school is part of a national trend for teenagers who got pregnant

while in high school. Moreover, the climate towards single mothers has improved in the last

decades, and expression such as 'broken home' is heard only sporadically, the women we

talked to perceived the contempt felt for mothers who received government subsidies. Several

mothers who were on public assistance sensed that they were 'put down'; some described the

societal view of single mothers as a 'problem to society'. These women were aware of the

increasingly common belief that mothers should not have children unless they can support

them. One of those who thought single mothers were seen as a 'problem to society', thought

that women were victims of irresponsible men.

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 According to Garfinkel and Mclanahan (1986), as cited by Taylor and Francis (2013),

a group of single mothers was aware of public censure at the national level for single

mothers, especially those who are teenaged, they largely ignored the views of their

neighbours or considered those views irrelevant. They contended that they did not know what

neighbours thought or said and that those opinions did not matter because neighbours were of

divided opinions.

A few young mothers noted that older neighbours 'condemn' teenage mothers, but

were able to minimize this disapproval by interpreting it as a manifestation of the critic's age.

The young mothers we interviewed did not indicate that they felt stigmatized by the older

neighbours' moral condemnation. In addition, mothers claimed that they were affected by

neighbours' views, they sensed their neighbour's disdain, as well as that of the nation, for

welfare assistance. While mindful of this disdain, the women we talked to seemed to feel

better about themselves than mothers on public assistance who were part of an ethnographic

study that found they felt both stigmatized and depressed.

Work-life balance

The concept of work-life balance refers to an employee's ability to have time for their

family or social activities. Problems regarding work-life balance are more prominent for

women than men due to existing traditional lifestyles, which leave child and housecare

responsibilities to women (Drange et al., 2016). Such problems are also seen as initiators of a

series of issues, including psychological problems, stress, dissatisfaction, high job turnover,

and absenteeism (Geyer et al., 2015).

Based on Van den Eynde et.al 2019, single parents have the worst-life balance. This is

partially due to the need for an increase in time spent at work after divorce or separation

(Thielemans and Mortelmans 2019). The general increase in work time and the lack of

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partners with whom to share household tasks have been found to generate a general increase

in work-life conflict from the viewpoint of work (Bakker and Karsten 2013). Therefore, the

increase that is observed in female labour force participation can be framed as a selective

antecedent as, contrary to men, women, are less likely to be already full-time at work in the

dual-partner household. In addition, authors such as Thielemans and Mortelmans (2019) have

argued, the increase in time at work and thus a shift in roles, is the most visible after divorce.

Furthermore, working hours do not match school hours and single mothers do not have a

partner to share tasks with (Eynde et al. 2019).

According to Girisken's ( 2021) research study, demographic factors such as age,

education level, and work experience impact life-work balance and resilience in single-

working mothers' work. The number of children also has a direct impact. Results are mainly

parallel with previous research findings, suggesting that women from higher socioeconomic

levels are more comfortable with their resilience at work and work-life balance practices.

The level of education positively impacts women’s resilience and leads to more

balanced/satisfying lives. Moreover, newcomers face more significant problems compared to

experienced single working mothers. Additionally, single-working mothers also feel divided

between their responsibilities at work and home parallel with other women. In line with

previous research, single working mothers also feel exhausted and depersonalized. Emotional

exhaustion increases as age increases, while depersonalization is seen higher in younger age

groups.

Women make up 57% of the workforce today and only 39.8% of managers in the

United States are women (United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2018). In addition, only

21% of senior-level leadership positions in the workforce are held by women (Grant

Thornton, 2018). This number is daunting when we know that women earn more bachelor’s

degrees than men (McKinsey & Company, 2018). Although there may be multiple reasons

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that there are fewer women in leadership positions, the struggle to balance work and family is

a major one.

According to Sandberg (2019), women often “turn down projects, don’t apply for

promotions, or choose more flexible paths to accommodate families they plan to have

someday, closing doors to opportunities and limiting their options even before they become

parents”. Undoubtedly, working single mothers will continue into the workforce and will

always be faced with the challenge of finding a balance between their home and work lives

( Cochran, 2021).

Absence of father in single parenting

In consonance with Xie (2022), the absence of a father deprives the child of the role

of a role model, and the child also lacks a sense of responsibility for his future generation. A

child's first education is at home, and a responsible father is a good role model in a complete

family. Because children always imitate their father's behaviour, the father greatly influences

the child's character and values. For example, when a child sees his father getting ready to

work, he imitates his father's tie and shoes. In the child's subconscious, it will be understood

that an adult or a man should work hard to create good conditions for the family. Small

difficulties at home are often handed over to the father, such as the need to replace light bulbs

and car tires

As males in the family, fathers' influence on children is more inclined to build and

maintain intimacy through activities, while women tend to build connections through

conversation. At the same time, "the father is the most important model for how the child will

be a father in the future." An effective father in the family can teach his child how to deal

with future family relationships and how to maintain and protect the family. However, in a

single-parent family without a father, adolescents lack role models and cannot receive correct

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behavioural guidance because there is no father. They tend to make more casual choices due

to a lack of accountability education when faced with choices. For example, falling in love in

adolescence will be more casual, regardless of the consequences of early pregnancy. The

choice to escape and leave after the emergence of early pregnancy has resulted in the

emergence of more single-mother families.

The absence of fathers causes no direct harm to children. On the contrary, the

absence of fathers is the cause of all the most intractable social ills impacting our children.

The adage, “correlation does not imply causation” does not apply to the impact of absent

fathers. The research is resounding on this point. Children from father-absent homes are

twice as likely to be abused or neglected, seven times as likely to engage in early sexual

behaviours or experience teen pregnancy, twice as likely to suffer from obesity, four times as

likely to suffer infant mortality, and twice as likely to drop out of school. Children from

father-absent homes are more likely to have behavioural problems, experience depression,

anxiety and suicidal ideation, more likely to commit crimes, more likely to go to prison, more

likely to become absent fathers and mothers themselves. On the flip side, children with

fathers in the home are more likely to avoid psychological and behavioural problems, and are

more likely to succeed in academics and life (Mendonca, 2018).

Baggett et.al (2015) stated that the father-daughter relationship could play an

important role in various aspects or stages of a woman’s life. Father absence is associated

with various outcomes in women’s life trajectories, including education, marriage, and

career-related decisions. Low-quality paternal relationships are associated with decreased

marital intimacy, satisfaction, and increased insecurity (Baggett et al., 2015). Moreover, the

father's absence is associated with child-rearing of marriage and child-rearing (Sheppard et.al

2014).

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 Even though many studies reported that father-absent children became resilient to the

negative outcomes of father absence, several studies found that the status of father-absent

children had influenced their life courses and decisions in several ways. First, commitment

and attachment issues and "promiscuity" in relationships with men were mentioned by father-

absent adult men and women from Australia, Colombia, Jamaica, South Africa, and the

United States (Ávila-Navarrete et al., 2017) Second, father-absent children from the United

States planned to make a better life for their children ( Brown et.al 2018). Third, the father's

absence negatively affected the child's mental health, such as resulting in identity and self-

esteem issues and depression among men and women from Australia, Jamaica, South Africa,

and the United States (Buckley et.al 2018).

In addition, Australian men who had grown up without a father present reported

numerous mental health difficulties such as bouts of depression and sadness, anger, and low

self-esteem which followed them right through life. They especially spoke of finding it

difficult to form friendships as adults, especially with other men (East et al. 2014). Young

Dutch and Curaçaoan adults who had grown up with absent fathers reported an emotional

loss and lack of paternal bonds which was only partly mitigated by strong maternal bonds

(Osinga et.al. 2021).

23
 CHAPTER 3

METHODOLOGY

This chapter presents the methods and procedures used in the conduct of this study. It

discussed the Research Design, Respondents, Locale of the study, Data Gathering Procedure,

Research Instrument and Data Analysis Procedure of the study.

Research Design

Since the study is going to explore the lived experiences of single mothers in raising

their children, the study utilizes a phenomenological approach. Using this particular design

would allow the researchers to achieve the results that they are aiming for.

Participants

The respondent of this study are the three single mothers who lived in Brgy.

Poblacion, Tantangan , South Cotabato. The age ranging of these three participants are 35-60

years old with 3-4 children. The cause of respondent’s single parenthood is death of a partner.

24
Locale of the study

The study will be conducted in Brgy. Poblacion ,Tantangan South Cotabato. The

researchers will conduct interviews at the respondents' homes or anywhere else that they find

comfortable doing so. The researchers have also gathered respondents residing in Brgy.

Poblacion ,Tantangan South Cotabato to participate in the study. Researchers chose the place

of implementation because it will allow them to obtain the necessary information about what

a single mother goes through when raising her children on their own. This study will conduct

in the second semester of S.Y. 2022-2023 in May - June 2023.

25
 Figure 1:

The Map of Locale of the Study

26
Data Gathering Procedure

To begin the research, the researchers choose three single mothers that will serve as

respondents in the study. The respondents are chosen using the purposive sampling

technique, for the reason that the participants selection relies on the researchers. After that the

researchers formulates guide questions for the interview, validated by the subject teacher.

Thereupon, the participants of the study will be informed personally or through

contact before the interview and get approval. Semi-structured interview will be used in

gaining insight into participant’s single parenthood. In observing the actions of the

participants, overt participant will be use.

The interview will be conducted on the time agreed. The researchers explains to

respondents how important their responses to the study and request honesty. At the same time

interview will be recorded. Upon the recorded data, the researchers will transcribe the

collected information by the respondents. The researchers analyzes and interprets transcribe

data using thematic analysis.

27
 Conduct a semi-structured
interview
Identification of the Formulate guide questions
respondents for the interview  Qualitative interview

Transcription of data
Analyzing of data using Familiarize the text
thematic analysis  Coding
 Coding categories

Identifying
patterns/themes

Figure 2: Data Gathering Procedure Framework

28
Research Instrument

The instrument that will be utilised in this study is interview and observation. This

was used to precisely accumulate in-depth insights into the lived experiences of single

mothers.

The researchers will prepare their semi-structured interview questions. The draft of

the interview was drawn out based on the statement of the problem of the study and reviewed

published and unpublished theses relevant to the study. Then, the researchers will submit the

outline of the interview to the subject teacher for the validity and reliability of the interview.

Afterwards, the validated set of questions will be used in interviewing the participants

of the study.

Data Analysis Procedure

The researchers will use thematic analysis, in building the data from interviews and

observations. The researchers will read thoroughly the data and analyse the sentences that

provided an understanding of the lived experiences of single mothers. Next, the transcription

will be broken down into codes. After that, the researcher will group the related codes.

Similar data are grouped to form categories. Last, the researchers will summarise data in a

frequency table. Then, data were tabulated and figured.

29
 CHAPTER 4

PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA

This chapter presents the analysis and interpretation of the study regarding of the specific
research problems. The content of this chapter is the responses of the respondents gathered
through semi-structured interview method. Through interviews, Researchers were able to better
understand and gather more in-depth insights into the lived experience of single mothers. The
results were presented using tables for ease of looking and for easier comprehension of the results
of the data.

VIEWS OF SINGLE MOTHERS ON THEMSELVES

In accordance with the participants of this study they consider themselves as multitasker,
strong and independent woman .

A. Strong and independent women

Statement Formulated Meaning Code Themes

’Matapang Ako In ‘’I am brave in all R1,L 20 Strong and

all aspect kase... Ako aspect because I have independent women
na lang mag-isa.’’ no partner.’’

'’Mama darna , sa ‘’ I view myself as a R3,L 31-32 Strong and

tingin ko ok rin ako simple and brave independent women
ahh medyo mother’’
palabandin palaban na
nanay.’’

B.Multitasker

Statement Formulated Meaning Code Themes

’Ang tungkulin ko ’My obligation is to be R1, L 30-31 Multitasker

siyempre bilang nanay a mother, a father at

30
 , tatay ,inatay. kung the same a provider.
baga breadwinner
provider ng lahat
‘’ Dati ang tungkulin ‘’My obligation is to be R2, L 31-32 Multitasker
ko lang maging nanay , a mother and a father
ngayon maging nanay at the same time.
at tatay na, Kasi ako Since I am now a
na lang mag-isa kasi single mother I am
wala na akong kasama obliged to do the all
kaylangan mong gawin things.’’
lahat.
In table 1 and table 2 it presents the views of single mothers on themselves.

Participant 1 in line 20 mentioned that ‘’ I am brave in all aspects because I have no partner.’’

Same with participant 3 line 31-32 also mentioned that ‘’ I view myself as a simple and brave

mother’’. This means that participants in this study view themselves as strong and

independent woman. Moreover, in table 2 participant 1 line 30-31 stated ‘’ My obligation is

to be a mother , a father , and at the same time a provider. Similar to participant 2 line 31-32

also mentioned that ‘’My obligation is to be a mother and at the same time a father . Since I am

now a single mother I am obliged to do the all things.’’ This simply means that participants in this

study view themselves as a multitasker .

STRUGGLES AND PROBLEMS OF SINGLE MOTHERS ENCOUNTER

A. Basic needs

Statement Formulated Code Themes

Meaning

‘’Pag ano, pag may mga ’There are some R2, L 27 Basic needs
ano may mga ano sila needs that I can’t
kailangan na hindi ko provide.’’
mabigay’’

’paghihirap at ‘’ Our basic needs in R3, L 94-96 Basic needs

problema. ahh Minsan our daily life like
Ang problema Wala sa electric bill, water bills
sobrang Lalo na sa and foods.’’

31
pangangailagan sa araw
araw ko na
pangailangan talaga
natin parehas Ng
kuryente bill water bill
ganun pagkain Yan
Naman lang Ang
pinoproblema araw
araw

B. Financial

Statement Formulated Code Themes

Meaning

‘’ Ay una una na dyan ’ ‘First of all is R2, L 49 Financial

financial, financial financial because I am
talaga Kasi tulad niyan unemployed.’’
Wala akong trabaho .’’
‘’Minsan talaga Yung ‘’There are times that R3, L 69-70 Financial
walang Wala walang I cannot pay electric
pambayad Ng kuryente bills but with god
Yung ganun ba pero sa grace we survive.
awa Ng diyos may
dumarating Naman. ‘’

C. Partner

Statement Formulated Code Themes

Meaning

‘’ Ako nalang lahat ‘’there’s no one to R1,L 38-42 Partner

syempre Yun in terms talk to,sometimes my
of emotionally..pag children but only in
depressed... Wala some aspect, because
Mang ibang it is different if you
masasabihan kung have a partner. The
Minsan Yun Yung indeed problem is you
don’t have a partner.’’

32
Sabi ko kanina kung
Minsan Yung mga
anak ko sinasabihan
ko pero not all...di
pwedeng...Sila...iba
kase pag Meron kang
katuwang.. katuwang
katuwang Yung ano
husband pag Wala na
Yung partner syempre
mag-isa kanalang Yun
Yung talagang
mahirap.’’
‘’ Ang solo parent ‘’Nowadays , I don’t R3, L 75-78 Partner
may gusto Kang have a partner to
gawin na parang wala accompany with me
Siya na parang ganun whenever I want to
ba ako talaga marami go.’’
akong na kwan sa
sarili ko kung may
gusto akong puntahan
di tulad dati na mag
punta tayo ganto may
kasama parang ganun
eh ngayun Isa ko na
lang mag punta kung
saan saan.’’

D . Absence of Father figure

Statement Formulated Code Themes

Meaning

‘’ may panahon talaga ‘’There are times that R1, L 43-45 Absence of father
na parang something is missing . figure
kulang...lalo na Jan sa Particularly, in our
bahay puro kami home since all of us
babae trabaho ng are girls we do the
lalake ginagawa house hold duties of
naming mga babae men’’.
kung Wala talaga
Kaming matawag na
kami lang man din
Jan Wala man

33
Kaming katulong’’
‘’ Minsan gusto ko ‘’ sometimes I want R3, L 72-74 Absence of father
mag punta mag kuha to get some figure
Ng panggatong iniisp firewood’s and it
ko paano Yan made me think of
aalsahin ko ba o how can I bring it at
Hindi Naman ako home.’’
marunong mag drive
Ng tricycle paano
Yan parang ganun ba
Kasi iba natalaga pag
Wala Kang partner.’’

In Table 1, participant 1 lines 27 mentioned that “There are some needs that I can't
provide." Same with, participant 3 lines 94-96 stated that “our basic needs in our daily life
like electric bill, water bills and foods."Moreover, In table 2 participant 2 line 49 mentioned
that “first of all is financial because I am unemployed." Same with Participant 3 lines 69-70
stated that “there are times that I cannot pay electric bills but with God's grace, we survive.
In addition, Table 3 Participant 1 line 38-42 stated that “there’s no one to talk to, sometimes
my children but only in some aspect because it is different if you have a partner. The indeed
problem is you don't have a partner." Same with participant 3 lines 75-78 mentioned that
“nowadays, I don't have a partner to accompany me whenever I want to go." Furthermore,
In table 4 participant 1 lines 43-45 stated that " There are times that something is missing,
particularly in our home since all of us are girls we do the household duties of men.'' Not
different from Participant 3 lines 72-74 mentioned that “sometimes I want to get some
firewood's and it made me thinks of how I can bring it at home. This means that some of the
struggles and problems of single mothers are their basic needs, finances, partner and the
absence of a father figure in a family.

COPING MECHANISMS OF SINGLE MOTHERS

Prayer

Statement Formulated Code Themes

Meaning

‘’siguro naging ‘’ I am strong through R1, L 62-66 Prayer

matatag din Ako the help of God. I am
through sa tulong also active in church

34
talaga nang so, if there’s no work
panginoon at school I am at
naging...Basta aheha church to spend my
Ako active din Ako sa time there.’’
simbahan pag Wala
ditong trabaho sa
school nasa simbahan
Ako don ko
ibinubuhos Yung
panahon ko dinaman
na para mawala Ang
lahat no ah siguro
Yun nalang din Yung
ano and then talaga
Wala ibang
makakatulong
panginoon lang
talaga.’’
‘’Mag dasal mag R2 , L 68-70 Prayer
dadasal hingin mo ‘’To surpass all, ask
Yung quidance ni lord guidance from God.
para malampasan mo
lahat Kasi walang
katumbas sa kanya eh
sa humingi ka Ng
tulong sa kanya
tutulongan ka niya Ng
hingin mo.’’
‘’Through prayer po ‘’I pray to god to R3, L 111-114 Prayer
nananalangin na lang guide me in my daily
po na sana lord life, All of your
gabayan mo ko lagi sa problem God will
araw araw mga always there to help
pangangailagan na you’’.
sana Hindi mo Naman
ako pabayaan, Minsan
dumarating lang
Naman Yan Kasi Sabi
nila most of all Ang
lahat Ng problema mo
lord lang Ang
makatutulong Sayo.’’

A. Companion

Statement Formulated Code Themes

35
 Meaning

‘’Hindi Naman na R1 , L 66-68 Companion

verbally na panginoon ‘’ God uses my
na siya lang friends, co-workers,
ginagamit nya Rin church mates to
Yung iba...at tao mga lighten the feeling.’’
friends coworkers
kasamahan sa
simbahan para kahit
papaano gumaan din
Yung pakiramdam.’’
‘’Syempre Yung R2 , L 60-62 Companion
pamilya ko, tulad ‘’ My family ,
niyan mga kapatid ko particulary my siblings
sila Ang mag support give support to us and
sa Amin pag Wala sometimes my
kami nag mga mother- in –law.’’
financial nag mga
pagkain ganyan Gina
suportahan nila kami
pag ano Naman
Minsan nagbigay rin
Yung mama ng papa
nila kung Meron
sila.’’
‘’ Mga anak ko anak, ‘’ Sometimes I share R3 , L 104-105 Companion
Minsan mga kapatid my problems with my
mapagsharean mo Ng friends, family and to
problema mga my children.’’
Minsan kaibigan may
mga kaibigan din,
pamilya.’’

B. Trust to oneself

Statement Formulated Meaning Code Themes

‘’ Kailangan talagang ‘’Be brave and face R1,L74 Trust to oneself

maging matapang your struggles.’’
harapin lahat ng
hamon.’’
‘’Sa mga problema ‘’ I surpass my R2, L77 Trust to oneself
nalampasan ko din problems through

36
naman pero yun lang perseverance.’’
nga talaga tiyaga tiyaga
lang.’’

Table 1 -3 presents on how single mothers overcome their struggles. In Participant 1

in line 62-66 mentioned that ‘’ I am strong through the help of god. I am also active in church

so,if theres no work at school I am at church to spend my time there’'. Participant 2 line 68-

70 say that ‘’ To surpass all, ask guidance from God .’’ Same with participant 3 line 111-114

stated that ‘’I pray to God to guideme in my daily life, All of your problem god will always

there to help you.’’ This means that participant in this study overcome their struggles through

prayer.Moreover, table 2 participant 1 line 66-68 mentioned that ‘’God uses my friends , co-

workers,church mates to lighten the feeling.’’ Participant 2 also mention in line 60-62 ‘’ My

family, particularly my siblings give support to us and sometimes my mother in law.’’ Same

with participant 3 stated in line 104-105 ‘’ Sometimes I share my problems with my

friends ,family, and to my children. ‘This study shows that one of the coping mechanisms of

single mothers in facing their struggles is the love and support from their companion.’’

Meanwhile, in table 3 Participant 1 in line 74 mention that ‘’be brave and face your

struggles’’. Same with participant 2 line 77 ‘’ I surpass my problems through perseverance.’’

This means that the participant in this study overcome their struggles through the trust that

they give on their self.

37