In the latest in our Challenge Poverty Week series STEWART PATERSON hears from a single parent in the city on the struggles faced by thousands of fellow citizens.

Almost half of single parents in Glasgow are living in poverty.

While that means the majority are not, there is however still a higher rate of single parents in poverty than in the population overall.

One of the reasons cited by many is difficulties in finding suitable work that is compatible with family responsibilities and for people in lower paid jobs this can be more restrictive with childcare costs.

Glasgow is home to more single parents than anywhere else in Scotland, mostly women, with research showing four out of ten families are single parent households.

Government figures state that a single parent with two children living on less than £291 per week after housing costs are paid, is living in poverty, an income equal to £15,200 a year after rent or mortgage is paid.

Without being in work most single parents are likely to find themselves in poverty.

But finding work that can fit in with childcare needs can be difficult for many.

Mum of two, Nicola Watson from Carntyne in Glasgow has recently started work in a care home after job hunting for a year after her youngest daughter started school.

She tells of the double difficulty of needing to work but finding a suitable job made harder.

She said: “One of the biggest challenges I faced was financial. It is harder to make ends meet with one income, and while I really wanted to work, I found it incredibly difficult to get a job that could fit around my responsibilities at home.

“I know I’m not the only one. In fact, just under half of all lone parents in Glasgow aren’t in work and 43% of children in one-parent families are living below the poverty line.

“When you think about the barriers facing us, childcare, lack of time, and the fact that women still earn less than men, you can understand why.”

Nicola began looking for work when her youngest child started school, as welfare laws require parents to do when their children are five.

Under UK Government welfare reforms, that changes in April next year to just three years old and she can understand the problems that will cause others.

She said: “Childcare costs can be really high, and potentially more than I was earning. I was lucky because my Nan was able to help me, but I know lots of other women who are really struggling to get work or access training and further education because they can’t afford to pay someone to look after their children. “

Nicola said another issue is perception of single parents, particularly in regards to the benefits system, as undeserving of state support.

She said she became a single parent after the birth of her second child after the relationship with her partner broke down over time.

She has done the research and aware of how others in her position feel.

She added: “There are a lot of us single parents about. In fact, 40% of all families in Glasgow are headed by a single parent.

“You might think this would mean that people might get used to the idea of people bringing up children on their own. But single parents still report feeling judged and stigmatised – research by One Parent Families Scotland found 83% felt they were stereotyped as “bad mothers” and “scroungers”.

“Attitudes like this don’t help people who are already facing challenges - and are completely out of step with the reality of our lives. If you are perceived negatively by other people, it can make the other pressures you might be under feel ten times worse.”

Nicola has a new job and a new home from GHA and she hopes others can be helped to overcome poverty.

The One Parent Families Scotland lone parents helpline number is 0808 801 0323.