Mrs C – Employment and Single Parenting

Mrs C lives in Briar Hill Northampton and is a single parent.

She desperately believes that working could be a route out of poverty, but believes the system fails to recognise the stress that single parents have in being the only care provider for children.

She also questions whether zero-hour contracts or those on minimum wage could ever truly escape poverty, find a deposit to buy their own house or truly free themselves from debt.

Mrs C argues that system practices and employer requirements make it harder for single parents as the majority do not understand the commitment required to parent solely without support.

She states:

If my child is sick, how can I work. I have no one to rely on and therefore I would have to let my employer know. At a minimum wage level, there is very little work-life balance. You either don’t get paid (which increases your debt and your anxiety) or they terminate your employment. That’s the way I see the world. It may work in other walks of life, but it’s not the reality I see.