Republic of the Philippines

Department of Education

Region III

SCHOOLS DIVISION OF CABANATUAN CITY

SAN JOSEF NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

“Management Skills of Single Mothers: A Case Study”

A Research Study Presented to:

NAOMI CAPARAS

Presented by:

Arnia V. Baldos
Jillian J. De Guzman
Princess Ronibel C. Garcia
Hanna Ellarie A. Gutierrez
Clarisse Mae P. Sebastian

Republic of the Philippines

 Department of Education

Region III

SCHOOLS DIVISION OF CABANATUAN CITY

SAN JOSEF NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

According to Leonard et. al. (2021), The management skills of single mothers encompass
a range of strategies, from economic to non-economic, that are crucial for their well-being and
that of their families. These skills are particularly important in the context of single parenting,
which presents unique challenges and concerns. Single mothers often need to develop effective
child management techniques, which can lead to increased self-confidence and better outcomes
for their children. The success of these children is also influenced by the mother's ability to
provide love, discipline, and support, as well as to manage various responsibilities.

SINGLE MOTHERS

Foreign:

According to Ladd L.D, et al (2014), the study of "Single mothers with custody following
divorce". They stated that divorce also involves building a new life, longitudinal research
provides the best picture of how divorced women accomplish this task. Long-term research
points to the fact that divorce is an event whose impact is individual and very often lifelong. The
researchers have provided valuable information to build meaningful programs of intervention for
divorced mothers. Perhaps the biggest challenge is to design flexible programs that can grow and
change with the needs of the divorced mother.

According to Johnson S. (2023), Widows around the world face loss, trauma,
discrimination, and stigma by their peers, families, communities, and societies. In addition to the
aforementioned, they also have to sustain themselves financially. The burden is doubled if they
have children to take care of.

According to V. Jadva, et al (2009), There has been a rise in recent years in the number
of women choosing to have a child without the involvement of a partner. These women, often
referred to as ‘single mothers by choice’ or ‘choice mothers’ differ from single mothers who find
themselves parenting alone following divorce or separation.

According to Biblarz T.J et al (2004), Divorced single mothers are not significantly
different from their widowed counterparts in child rearing, gender role, family values in
religiosity, health-related behaviors, and other dimensions of lifestyle.

Local:

According to Bido J (2023), One of the main reasons why there are a lot of single moms
in the Philippines is because of the lack of education on sexual health and protection. It’s not
common for people, especially young ones, to learn about these topics. Without this knowledge,
they might not know how to prevent pregnancy. This can lead to unexpected pregnancies, and
often, the women end up raising their children alone as single mothers.

According to Ramos E.S, et al (2020), Single motherhood is now becoming a" norm," the
number of single mothers has been steadily increasing for so many reasons such as giving birth
outside marriage, separation, divorce, annulment, death of a partner, or simply because some
women chose to have a child and stay single.

MANAGEMENT SKILLS

According to Ashley Lara Clark (2018), The single mothers the extent to which zoning
regulations for home occupations support single mothers as they make use of their residences to
generate necessary family income.

According to Gabriel et.al (2022), Most single mothers use economic, cognitive, spiritual,
and self-development as their way to overcome these challenges. Their common plans for the
future are complexity and generativity. Not only do single mothers think about their present lives
but they also prepare themselves for the future. Every single mother wants her children to have
the best education, but besides that, single mothers plan to have a sustainable job and be
independent.

According to Elizabeth Anna Farrell (2021), Single mother college students experienced
challenges but overcame them; persistence is based on autonomy, positive thinking, and self-
efficacy; and the absence of the children’s fathers affected resources needed the most, as the
main lived experiences of single mother college students. Nevertheless, having a support system;
using motivational factors; learning to cope using multiple priorities management; organizational
skills, faith in God; and time management and self-discipline contributed to their success in
completing their bachelor’s degree.

According to Rouice Christine T Bustillo et. al. (2024) The experiences of student-
mothers pursuing higher education, uncover the challenges they face, the strategies they employ,
and the insights gained. These challenges are compounded by the demands of motherhood,
resulting in absenteeism from classes, difficulty focusing on academic tasks, time management
struggles, fatigue, and a shortage of time for their children.

According to PO Chinedu Elono et.al. (2024), Working mothers suffer from stress, which
originates from different sources. This stress affects their job/task performance and the
management of their homes. The findings show that societal stress, organizational stress, role-
related stress, extra-organizational stress, and emotional stress are available sources of stress
among working mothers and that the strategies adopted by working mothers in coping with stress
were engaging the assistance of ray family relatives in stress coping strategies.

HEALTH PROBLEMS

According to Kim and Kim (2020), Single mothers typically have poorer health than
married mothers. Single mothers are more stressed, have depressive symptoms, have suicidal
ideation, and have alcohol-related problems were negatively affect their mental health. Teenage
single mothers are said to have a harder time earning money for their household compared to
single mothers who are between the ages of 30 to 50.

According to Cairney et al., (2003), Single mothers have higher rates of depression
because of greater exposure to stress, both past and present. Single mothers have lower levels of
perceived social support, social involvement, and frequency of contact with friends and family
than married mothers. They found out that the multivariate analyses showed that, together, stress
and social support account for almost 40 % of the relationship between single-parent status and
depression, and also the impact of social support on psychological well-being may be different
for single as compared to married mothers.

According to Liang et al., (2019), Single mothers with young children are more
predisposed to mental health disorders than partnered mothers, especially when facing financial,
social, or distal adversities. Parenting stress is elevated among single mothers with young
preschool children. Single mothers with young children are at a greater disadvantage during early
parenthood compared to partnered mothers, which adds to greater risks of poorer mental health.
They discovered that the relevant risks for mental health disorders and stresses are exacerbated
by a lack of perceived social support, a history of maltreatment, and exposure to financial
hardship.

According to MC Bain (2020), Single mothers are prone to experience stress due to their
multiple tasks and burdens. Experiencing psychosocial impacts that give association on a state
resembles depression, stress, guilt and denial, being physically sick, and being irritable, and
angry towards their ex-husband. These factors are strongly related to the socio-economic,
overloaded burden, and environmental challenges that these single mothers’ challenges impinge
upon their disproportionate share, rights, and responsibilities.

According to Javier (2015). 'Solo parenthood is emotionally draining because I have to

make all the decisions, at times wondering if I am making the right ones'. The emotional,
physical, and psychosocial components of raising children on their own. This is especially true
during the turbulent adolescent period when their children go through hormonal changes that
trigger mood swings.

EXPERIENCES OF SINGLE MOTHERS

According to Ramos and Tus (2020), A study examined the experiences of single
mothers raising their children, aiming to understand how they cope and provide a better life for
their kids. Qualitative research was used to explore their challenges, with financial struggles and
loneliness being common issues. While faith, family support, community, and employment help
them cope, there is a need for societal recognition of their struggles. The study suggests
interventions by the government and social workgroups to assist single mothers in overcoming
the financial, psychological, and emotional challenges of raising children alone.

According to De-la-roza and Franco (2021), This study examines the phenomenon of
single motherhood by choice, focusing on the experiences and challenges faced by women who
decide to become single mothers. Sixteen semi-structured interviews were conducted using
thematic content analysis to gather information. Two main themes emerged from the analysis:
"The decision to form a family" and "Challenges of being single mothers by choice:
Normalization". The findings suggest that traditional family norms play a role in shaping the
experiences of these mothers. The study emphasizes the importance of social workers and other
professionals understanding and addressing the needs of diverse family structures.

According to Kotwal and Prabhakar (2009), The role of a single parent, especially when a
woman is heading the family, can be challenging due to various factors such as raising children,
their future, and stability in life. A study was conducted to examine the problems faced by single
mothers, including social, emotional, and economic issues. The study involved 50 single mothers
selected through snowball sampling. Results showed that financial problems were the main
stressor for most single mothers, impacting their emotional well-being. Many of them reported
feeling lonely, helpless, and lacking confidence. In the social sphere, single mothers tended to
avoid social gatherings and experienced changes in their appearance due to depression. They also
struggled with discipline, loneliness, trauma, and handling childcare responsibilities without
male support.

According to Semorlan and Semorlan (2013), It also included insights from experts on
Muslim culture regarding family dynamics. Participants included ten young adults and their
mothers who experienced parental separation during adolescence. The study identified five
themes, including gender differences in family obligations and the impact of extended family
members. Remarriage as a solution to financial difficulties, seeking opportunities abroad, and
parental influence on children's outlook were also discussed. The study revealed that young
adults with higher education redefined their situations positively, while others accepted
challenges resignedly. Overall, the study highlighted the importance of parental influence in
shaping young adults' perspectives on life.
 According to Baluyot, Yapo, Gatchalian, Juan, Tabiliran, and Tus, Single parents often
lack co-parenting relationships and may struggle with work-life balance compared to married or
cohabiting parents. Single mothers face challenges such as juggling childcare, work, bills, and
household responsibilities. They may have extra obligations and complications to manage. A
study on contractual single mothers found that they face difficulties due to limited resources for
expenses, but rely on their children, support system, and faith to overcome challenges. Single
parents, especially those who are contractual, may find it hard to balance work and family
responsibilities but use various coping mechanisms to navigate their situations.

REFERENCES

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Widowhood Definition, Effects & Syndrome - Lesson | Study.com

'Mom by choice, single by life's circumstance...' Findings from a large scale survey of the experiences of
single mothers by choice - PubMed (nih.gov)

Family Structure and Children's Success: A Comparison of Widowed and Divorced Single ‐Mother
Families - Biblarz - 2000 - Journal of Marriage and Family - Wiley Online Library

Why Are There So Many Single Mothers in the Philippines? (janefromph.com)

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