A US study carried by Emma Johnson finds that the more parenting time equality single moms share with their children’s dads, the higher their income. As it happens it is good for the children too!
This was the biggest finding of Single Mom Income and Time-Sharing Survey, which polled 2,270 single mothers about their employment, income, time-sharing and related feelings.
The survey sought to understand the connection between single moms’ parenting schedules and the women’s income, attitudes about work, parenting and wellbeing.
Gender income inequity is being exasperated today as recent job loss is worse for women overall, mothers especially as they struggle to manage work and child care, and single moms most of all, as the majority of unpartnered mothers have the vast majority of child responsibilities compared with fathers.
Mothers overall suffer a pay gap of 29%, earning an average of 71 cents for every $1 earned by a dad — or an average of $16,000 less per year, according to the National Women’s Law Center. This motherhood penalty is dramatically worse for single mothers at 35%.
Tami Forman in a Forbes article about the study states that:
"If public policies can normalize the idea that a divorced dad should care for his kids half the time, then maybe that will strengthen the idea that all dads should do half the parenting, which would benefit many families."
We couldn't agree more. The big takeaway here is: More equality in time-sharing means higher earning for mums and better for the children too!
Link to the study: https://www.wealthysinglemommy.com/survey/
Please write to your MP and ask the relevant Ministers to make it easier for parents to share care from day one i.e. more equal, independent parental leave for dads (Business Dept), strengthening the rebuttable presumption of joint care (MoJ), sharing of child-related benefits (DWP), schools and doctors retaining independent relationships with each parent (DoE and DoH). Please urge them to make representations to the relevant Minister and to get in touch with us. If you want to find out who your MP is, you can do it by clicking here.
Here is also an example of a clear and effective letter to an MP.
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