Scimex: Being a single mum between the ages of 16 and 49 is linked to poorer
health in later life, according to a new international study. The
researchers looked at 25,000 women in England, the US, Denmark and
Sweden, and found that single mums tended to be younger, less well off,
and were at a higher risk of disability and poor health further down the
line.
The risks seem to be greatest for lone mothers in England, the US, Denmark and Sweden, the findings indicate.
The researchers base their findings on the responses of more than 25,000
women aged 50+ to questions about childbearing and marital status; any
limitations on their capacity for routine daily activities (ADL), such
as personal hygiene and getting dressed, and instrumental daily
activities (IADL), such as driving and shopping. They were also asked to
rate their own health.
All the women had taken part in one of three biennial nationally
representative surveys: the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) in the US;
the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA in England; or the
Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE).
Thirteen of the 21 countries represented by SHARE (Denmark, Sweden,
Austria, France, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, The Netherlands, Italy,
Spain, Greece, Poland, Czech Republic) had collected relevant data.
The researchers wanted to know if single motherhood before the age of 50
was associated with poorer health, and whether going it alone is worse
in countries with relatively weak 'social [support] safety nets.'
Single motherhood was classified as having a child under the age of 18 and not being married rather than living with a partner.
One in three of the US mums surveyed had been a single mother before the
age of 50, compared with around one in five (22%) in England and
Western European countries, around four out of 10 (38%) in Denmark and
Sweden, and one in 10 in Southern Europe.
Single mums in every country studied tended to be younger, less well
off, and less likely to be married than women who had stayed married
throughout their parenthood. In the US and England single mothers also
tended to be less well educated.
Analysis of the responses indicated that any period of single motherhood
was linked to a greater risk of some level of physical disability and
poor health in later life than dual parenthood.
But the associations were stronger for single mums in England, the US,
Denmark and Sweden. Single motherhood was less consistently associated
with health in Western, Eastern, and Southern European countries.
The analysis indicated that women who became single mothers before the
age of 20, or as the result of divorce, or who parented alone for 8 or
more years, or who had two or more children, were at particular risk of
disability and poor health in later life.
The researchers point out that the findings may reflect 'selection and
causation in cycles of disadvantage.' In other words, poverty may
increase the risk of single motherhood, perhaps indicating earlier
health disadvantages. And lone parenthood may hamper a women's ability
to get qualifications, have a career, and earn enough money, which may
itself lead to poorer health.
Similarly, social support may partially explain the associations between
single motherhood and health, they suggest, noting that in Southern
European countries, which have a strong family culture, single
motherhood was not linked to increased health risks.
"The findings add to the growing recognition that single motherhood may
have long term health effects on mothers. As lone motherhood is on the
rise in many countries, policies addressing health disadvantages of lone
mothers may be essential to improving women's health and reducing
disparities," they write.
And they suggest that adequate access to contraception and policies that
help single mums to stay in the workforce and help them balance the
demands of work and family, may be very helpful.