Single Parent Households and How it Affects Children

In single-parent families, flexible working is a key factor in ensuring an enjoyable family life for the children, according to research.

Managers considering offering flexible working to their employees may be particularly interested in the research from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

The study suggests that during the preschool years, when parental bonds are formed and fixed, the availability of single mothers to their children is at its most important.

During this time, fixed working patterns are seen to create a more stable home life than jobs with constantly changing shift patterns.

This is the case whether the hours worked each day are the same, or if the shifts rotate through day, evening and night.

Indeed, the latter may be preferable due to the possibility of spending more daylight hours with the child in between shifts.

However, working mothers on erratic working patterns were seen to create less successful home lives for their children than their unemployed counterparts.

This could leave their offspring subject to poorer educational outcomes and worsened relationships even in later life.

Related research from the university indicates that playtime is important to the development of young children.

As such, those allowed to play freely could develop more effectively than those brought up in a classroom-like ordered environment.