Report outlines financial challenges facing single moms & policies that would help them

WASHINGTON — More than seven million mothers are raising children by themselves, according to the Center for American Progress.

A new report from the think tank shows these women are also supporting their families with less money. It finds single mothers earn about 56 cents for every $1 paid to all dads. Experts say that means single moms are losing out on tens of thousands of dollars each year.

“This is money that could be used and spent toward school supplies for children, rent groceries, gas in your car, retirement accounts,” said Taylor Austin, campaign manager for workplace justice, MomsRising.

Austin works with the advocacy group, MomsRising, which pushes for economic security for all moms, women, and families in the United States.

The Center for American Progress report shows many of these single mothers are living in poverty at higher rates too. It finds 28% of single moms are in poverty compared to 15% of single fathers.

That’s why Austin said MomsRising is urging Congress to close the wage gap by passing policies for paid family medical leave as well as affordable childcare and health care.

“Single mothers and their families need access to all of these policies so that they can show up for their families without jeopardizing their economic security,” she said.

Researchers from the Center for American Progress also recommend expanding the Child Tax Credit to help mothers too.

However, some conservative think tanks like The Heritage Foundation have pushed back on some of those proposals.

“Compared to a universally expanded child tax credit, there are a number of things that could do more to particularly help single moms. For example, workplace flexibility is especially important to single moms and recent regulations on independent contractors and overtime rules are going to close doors to flexible work opportunities and even take away the livelihoods of many people,” said Rachel Senior Research Fellow at The Heritage Foundation in a written statement. “Better ways to help single moms would be to expand childcare options by making it easier for employers to offer childcare benefits and by allowing hourly-paid workers to accumulate paid time off.”

Efforts to give low-income families more financial relief haven’t gotten far on Capitol Hill.

For example, the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024 would have increased child tax credit payments to $2000 next year. But the proposal failed in a close Senate vote in July.

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