Though most of them face tremendous difficulties in life, divorce mothers in Taiwan feel much happier after becoming single again, according to a new poll released yesterday.
Women's service groups carried out the survey of 192 divorced mothers.
The results show that more than half of the respondents feel that they are living a happier life than when they were married.
And more than 80 percent of the respondents said that they in no way regret deciding to become single.
The findings are in stark contrast with mothers' complaints about other real life problems, such as the financial difficulties and the social stigma attached to single moms.
Lo Chung-yu (羅瓊玉), general-director of the Warm Life Association for Women (晚晴協會), expressed the view that even though the poll showed that more than 50 percent of single mothers feel happier than before, it does not mean that most of them like and choose to become single parents.
"The reactions very much depend upon their past experiences during their marital relationship," Lo said.
"In fact, discrimination against single mothers still prevails in this society and some women don't dare admit they're single moms."
According to the survey, taken between Feb. 26 and March 4, financial difficulties are the most serious problem facing single mothers, particularly among the 30- to 39-year-old age group.
Other issues that worry single mothers include the education of children, adjustment to a new life on their own and social discrimination against single moms, the poll showed.
Notably, most of the respondents think traditional mores on gender are a major reason for the difficulties they face.
Tina Pan (潘維剛), a KMT legislator and also chairwoman of the Modern Women's Foundation (現代婦女基金會), said four out of 100 families in Taiwan are single-parent families, and that there are more single mothers than single fathers.
She said that her foundation and others hope that the results of the survey will call public attention to the difficulties of single mothers, a segment of the population that is steadily growing.
The study also indicated that most single mothers are in financial distress, with nearly 50 percent of them looking for employment.
Funding for education and housing are also in noticeably short supply, and younger single mothers seek assistance from social welfare organizations more often than their older counterparts.
Surprisingly, the poll results also show that single moms get more help from neighbors and friends than they do from their own families and relatives.
CLASH OF WORDS: While China’s foreign minister insisted the US play a constructive role with China, Rubio stressed Washington’s commitment to its allies in the region The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday affirmed and welcomed US Secretary of State Marco Rubio statements expressing the US’ “serious concern over China’s coercive actions against Taiwan” and aggressive behavior in the South China Sea, in a telephone call with his Chinese counterpart. The ministry in a news release yesterday also said that the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs had stated many fallacies about Taiwan in the call. “We solemnly emphasize again that our country and the People’s Republic of China are not subordinate to each other, and it has been an objective fact for a long time, as well as
‘CHARM OFFENSIVE’: Beijing has been sending senior Chinese officials to Okinawa as part of efforts to influence public opinion against the US, the ‘Telegraph’ reported Beijing is believed to be sowing divisions in Japan’s Okinawa Prefecture to better facilitate an invasion of Taiwan, British newspaper the Telegraph reported on Saturday. Less than 750km from Taiwan, Okinawa hosts nearly 30,000 US troops who would likely “play a pivotal role should Beijing order the invasion of Taiwan,” it wrote. To prevent US intervention in an invasion, China is carrying out a “silent invasion” of Okinawa by stoking the flames of discontent among locals toward the US presence in the prefecture, it said. Beijing is also allegedly funding separatists in the region, including Chosuke Yara, the head of the Ryukyu Independence
‘ARMED GROUP’: Two defendants used Chinese funds to form the ‘Republic of China Taiwan Military Government,’ posing a threat to national security, prosecutors said A retired lieutenant general has been charged after using funds from China to recruit military personnel for an “armed” group that would assist invading Chinese forces, prosecutors said yesterday. The retired officer, Kao An-kuo (高安國), was among six people indicted for contravening the National Security Act (國家安全法), the High Prosecutors’ Office said in a statement. The group visited China multiple times, separately and together, from 2018 to last year, where they met Chinese military intelligence personnel for instructions and funding “to initiate and develop organizations for China,” prosecutors said. Their actions posed a “serious threat” to “national security and social stability,” the statement
‘VERY SHALLOW’: The center of Saturday’s quake in Tainan’s Dongshan District hit at a depth of 7.7km, while yesterday’s in Nansai was at a depth of 8.1km, the CWA said Two magnitude 5.7 earthquakes that struck on Saturday night and yesterday morning were aftershocks triggered by a magnitude 6.4 quake on Tuesday last week, a seismologist said, adding that the epicenters of the aftershocks are moving westward. Saturday and yesterday’s earthquakes occurred as people were preparing for the Lunar New Year holiday this week. As of 10am yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) recorded 110 aftershocks from last week’s main earthquake, including six magnitude 5 to 6 quakes and 32 magnitude 4 to 5 tremors. Seventy-one of the earthquakes were smaller than magnitude 4. Thirty-one of the aftershocks were felt nationwide, while 79
RSS