Challenges faced by single parents in providing care and economic support to their children in Anambra state

Abstract

The complex economic situation in Anambra state is such that single parents encounter serious structural disadvantage as they try to sustain their sole breadwinners' role and face the many demands of child care in their households. In this study, a total of 358 respondents comprising single fathers and mothers of the local government areas of Anambra State were sampled using Taro Yamane formula and multi-stage sampling in the three LGA's and fifteen communities respectively, and were evaluated in the study. A validated and reliable questionnaire (alpha = 0.89) was digitally distributed using Google Form by trained research assistants for data collection. A four-point Likert scale with mean scores and standard deviations was used for statistical processing to make descriptive feedback. In addition, five null hypotheses were tested to establish the statistical differences between the demographic subsets with the help of t-test statistics at a 0.05 level of significance. The results shows that single parents in Anambra State are in very harsh operating conditions with an overall cluster mean of 3.11, which is above the 2.50 value. Some of the biggest stressors are access to childcare, mobility and emotional loneliness. On the other hand, it was not a big challenge for respondents if their child's academic future was concerned. The result shows the inferential findings, which do not indicate any significant differences between gender (t = 0.092, p > 0.05). The null hypothesis is accepted and it is established that the situation of single parents is very similar in every aspect for men and women, across the regional socio-economic context. The study concludes that single parents in Anambra State are burdened with a common tight institutional burden which is likely to undermine the stability of the family. The study calls for the development of targeted interventions by the State Ministry of Social Welfare and local administrative units such as providing subsidised community child care networks, providing economic safety nets at the local level, and conducting public sensitization campaigns to address social stigma and enhance the protective capacity of single-parent families.