The UN Women report puts the figure of lone mother households in India at 13 million

An estimated 4.5% of all Indian households are run by single mothers, says a UN report which draws attention to the significant number of lone parent families in the country. Even as the dominant household form in India continues to be a mix of couples living with their children of any age, followed by extended families, the UN Women report puts the figure of lone mother households in India at 13 million.

Another 32 million are estimated to be living in extended households. Released on Tuesday, the global report — “Progress Of The World’s Women 2019-2020”— analyses how diverse family structures are impacting women & their choices. In India, 46.7% of families are couples living with their children, over 31% live in extended families while single-person families account for 12.5%.

Globally it turns out that over eight of every 10 lone-parent households are headed by women (84.3%). Based on data from 89 countries, this translates to 101.3 million households where lone mothers live alone with their children. Many other single mothers live with their children in extended households.

The source for household composition information for India comes from the 2009-2010 employment survey. This data on household size & household composition was combined with World Population Prospect (2017) to derive the estimates. Thus, the final figures in millions are based on 2017 estimates of India’s population. On the lives of lone mothers, the report states that poverty rates of such households are much higher than those of dual parent households with children 6 years of age or younger.

“In India, the poverty rate of lone mother households are 38% in comparison to 22.6% for dual-parent households,” it said. Marriage & motherhood affect women’s labour force participation & income. In India, based on data from 2012, 29.1% of all women aged 25-54 years are in the labour force, compared to 97.8% for men of the same age. The report also draws attention to the needs of the growing elderly population.

“Women, on average, live longer than men in all regions & countries. At the global level, men’s life expectancy is projected to be lower than that of women by 4.6 years during 2015-2020, it said pointing out the need to focus on senior women. The report offers many solutions like family-friendly policies, including cash transfers, healthcare, & care services for children & older people. Anita Bhatia, deputy director of UN Women, deputy executive director said, “While some progress is evident within the Asia-Pacific region, women & girls continue to be discriminated against & their contributions undervalued. Governments must renew their commitment to gender equality by identifying clear priorities & actions with set time-lines & resources, in line with the 2030 agenda & Sustainable Development Goals.”

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