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The Impact of the Pandemic on Single Parents and their Need for Informal Support

Publication |
2022

Abstract

The Covid-19 pandemic has affected the work, personal, and family lives of all Czechs. In this regard, single parents are one of the most vulnerable groups. They are very frequent recipients of external support, provided by the state or by grandparents. Government restrictions, accompanied by, among other things, reduced availability of institutional childcare services, have significantly increased parents' demand for informal childcare. However, grandparents have not been able to fully satisfy this demand. Within the proposed typology, the so-called risk group of single parents who did not receive the required childcare support concerning school preparation or free time, as well financial or material help, was identified. The size of this group grew during the pandemic. According to regression analysis, parents of preschool and younger school children, working in precarious forms of work, in a low-income situation, and/ or in rental housing, were at higher risk of falling into the group of single parents who need informal support.