Single-parent families

A population more exposed to poverty and precariousness

In Haiti, single-parent families are a growing population. Moreover, these families are still today, among the hardest hit by poverty. The number of families composed of a living parent who has no spouse with at least one child under the age of 18 is increasing every year. It should also be emphasized that single-parent families are still predominantly female-headed because single parenthood is a predominantly female situation.

• 80% of the population lives below the poverty line.
• 30% of Haitian women are victims of domestic, emotional and sexual violence at the hands of their spouse.
• Only 12% of the population live in a marital relationship. This rate is reached only because of the mosaic of religious communities that, for the most part, have been urging their members to marry for the last twenty years.
• The marriage rate was between 6% and 8% before the arrival of religious communities in the country.
• In Haiti, 60% of families are single parents, the overwhelming majority of these families being led, of course, by women.
• These women have an average of six (6) children, most often two (2) or three (3) different fathers.

Causes and consequences of single parenthood

• Men multiply homes and become unfit to effectively take on their responsibilities as spouses and fathers.
• Noticeable absence of the paternal figure for most Haitian children.
• Risks of having negative impacts on the future of children, even of the country.
• Women are in charge of their homes and children, in a country without a proper structure for the development and well-being of families facing poverty.

Photo of a single parent family.

With this percentage, lone-parent families are challenging the traditional family model. They combine characteristics that expose them more than others to the risks of poverty and precariousness. Many of these people living in single-parent families face poverty.

The risk of poverty varies according to the diversity of family forms and social policies that have not evolved in Haiti and where the logic of family support does not exist so to speak. In reference to recent studies and reports, this note sheds light on the issue of poverty and the precariousness of single-parent families.

The single-parent family, a world of precariousness

Single-parent families are identified in household surveys. They represent households for which the parent lives alone without a spouse with children aged under 18 years in ordinary or collective housing..

They are defined as widowed, divorced, separated, abandoned or single persons, who do not have a marital life and are solely responsible for one or more children under 18 years of age./p>

In this context, it is urgent to have a real social policy that takes into account the assistance and well-being of these families because they are socially vulnerable and exposed to the risks of poverty and precariousness.

Lastest news

Testimonials

Social Networks

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Linkedin
• Google+

About

The Clarina Bastia Foundation is a non-profit institution, founded on March 8, 2017 and duly registered with the tax authorities as a charity.

It mainly develops support projects for women and single-parent families throughout Haiti. Its headquarters are located in Hinche downtown, Plateau Central.

Head Offices

• 51, Rue des Petites Sœurs
  Hinche, Haiti.
  Mail Box : 5110
  Phone: +509-4264-5380
  Phone: +509-4220-9191

Email address: info@fondationfcb.org