• ISSN: 2010-023X (Print)
    • Abbreviated Title: Int. J. Trade, Economics and Financ.
    • Frequency: Quaterly
    • DOI: 10.18178/IJTEF
    • Editor-in-Chief: Prof.Tung-Zong (Donald) Chang
    • Managing Editor: Ms. Shira. W. Lu

    • Abstracting/ Indexing:  Crossref, CNKI, EBSCO

    • Article Processing Charge (APC): 500 USD

    • E-mail: ijtef.editorial.office@gmail.com

HOME > Archive > 2012 > Volume 3 Number 2 (Apr. 2012) >
IJTEF 2012 Vol.3(2): 126-131 ISSN: 2010-023X
DOI: 10.7763/IJTEF.2012.V3.185

Sustaining the Livelihood of Single Mothers through Wealth Creation and Savings Opportunities: A Long Road Ahead

M. N. Zarina and A. A. Kamil

Abstract—Single motherhood is spreading in Malaysia and re-entering single motherhood life poses challenges to single mothers. Financial abilities play crucial roles in single mothers’ survival in particular, when financial supports from ex-spouses and government agencies are not as helpful as they would like it to be. In many cases, single mothers are left without sustainable financial sources to re-start their new single lives. On average single mothers in our study have 2 to 3 children under their care. Studies have shown that the existence of children make it less likely for low income single mothers to save. Consequently, accumulating assets and savings fall in the last place in their priority lists. Other immediate needs take up most of their resources. As asset accumulation and savings are one of the ways to obtain a better livelihood other than education, this issue deserves to be addressed by policymakers, academics as well as society as a whole. Efforts and programs to alleviate poverty among single mothers should also inculcate self dependency as its ultimate goal. Our preliminary findings suggest that low income single mothers in our sample have accumulate minimal assets and savings - but with many mouths to feed.

Index Terms—Asset accumulation, poverty, saving, single mother.

M. N. Zarina is with the Management Section, School of Distance Education, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 Penang, Malaysia, (e-mail: zarina.nor@ usm.my).
Kamil A.A. is with the Mathematics Section, School of Distance Education, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 Penang, Malaysia, (e-mail: anton@ usm.my).

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Cite: M. N. Zarina and A. A. Kamil , "Sustaining the Livelihood of Single Mothers through Wealth Creation and Savings Opportunities: A Long Road Ahead ," International Journal of Trade, Economics and Finance vol. 3, no. 2, pp. 126 -131, 2012.

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