WOMEN'S RIGHTS AND GENDER EQUALITY : MEPS WANT MORE ATTENTION PAID TO WELL-BEING OF SINGLE MOTHERS.

The European Parliament is asking that greater attention be paid to the situation of single mothers and suggests a series of specific measures in the fields of training, employment and social security. In a non-legislative resolution adopted on 25 October, MEPs call on member states to adopt public policies, namely educational policies, care provision, public health policies, employment policies, social security systems and housing policies to support the needs and realities of single-parent families, taking particular account of the reality of single-mother families.

Currently, one woman in twenty is a single mother, whether because of a divorce, a separation or because she has never been married. According to the latest statistics, 32% of single-parent families in the EU25 were threatened with poverty in 2006, against 12% of couples with children. To tackle this situation, MEPs more specifically suggest organising trainings to help the employment of single mothers, namely by setting up family centres where single mothers can also benefit from housing aid and receive advice and training.

MEPs call on member states to ensure that single mothers benefit from housing support and are given priority on the waiting lists to rental housing. MEPs also encourage member states to promote the employment of single women by granting them tax...