KOTA SAMARAHAN: About 72 per cent of single mothers want or are willing to work.
This was discovered through a research called ‘Investigation Into Barriers for Single Mothers with Tertiary Educations’ Re-Entry Into Workforce in Urban Sarawak.
The research was conducted by Swimburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus, under Dr. Ida Fatimahwati Adi Badiozaman and Dr. Voon Mung Ling.
A total of 400 random respondents from Kuching, Samarahan, Bintulu, Miri and Serian made it possible to complete the research.
“There are three main factors that obstruct the single mothers to work namely nobody to look after their young children, lack of transportation and having minimum academic qualification such as Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM),” said Fatimahwati to the media in a press conference.
Assistant Minister of Early Childhood Education and Family Development, Sharifah Hasidah Sayeed Aman Ghazali said their target was at least 10 per cent of the respondents would able to work again.
“The target for single mothers will at least operate small business to help enhance the family financial standing.
“Therefore, I urge single mothers to join the association such as Sarawak Single Mother Association and other non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to get the benefits of any assistance which are specified for them,” said Hasidah in the same press conference.
Earlier she officiated at the fourth series of Sarawak Empowerment of Single Mothers Programme at Kota Samarahan Civic Centre in Kota Samarahan, yesterday.
According to statistics, there are almost 15,000 registered single mothers in Sarawak in four categories namely resulting from divorces, deaths of husbands, not married but have adopted a child or children and those who become heads of households due to bedridden husbands.
Meanwhile, according to Hasidah, there is no specific assistance provided by Sarawak State Community Welfare Department to single mothers.
“There is only indirect assistance distributed to single mothers through Children Assistance. As of February 2017, a total of 12,375 recipients received the assistance with a total of value of RM6,753,400,” she disclosed.
Also present was Director of Sarawak Women and Family Department, Noriah Haji Ahmad.
