As far as I can see - including on here the woman receives the most vitriol. Single mother on benefits, feckless, drain on the tax payer etc etc etc. Rarely does anyone mention the man or men who left her in this situation. Okay so it takes two to make a baby and perhaps she made very unwise choices but even so she is the one there for her children, supporting them, loving them, helping them through everything. Sometimes she is on benefits and sometimes not.
Why though are we not looking far more at the legion of men who have walked away - sometimes never to support the offspring they have created? Why do we bang on and on about the woman who is struggling?
Why is all our focus on getting these women into work when they already do a full time job in caring for their children. Okay so you have the likes of superwoman Nicola Horlick who worked all the hours God sent AND had the perfect family. She also had a supportive husband, nannies, cleaners all of which would not be available to most women living alone and struggling.
The woman whose husband/partner walks out leaving her to manage alone. Why should her children who may already be traumatised by the split be further traumatised by the removal of their mother into the workplace when she has always been there when they come home.
Just saying that I think we concentrate on the wrong things. Why are we not addressing the issue of the Dads who have walked away?