Single Mothers in Sweden: Work and Welfare in the Welfare State

Single mothers and their children constitute an economically vulnerable population in Sweden as they do elsewhere in the industrialized world. U.S. policy specialists have frequently commented on the generous array of universal and targeted social benefits that have greatly assisted Swedish families in avoiding poverty. This article looks at two other important factors that influence the economic well-being of single-parent families: participation in the paid labor force and means-tested social assistance. Although Swedish women in general and single mothers in particular have very high rates of labor force participation, a surprisingly high percentage must rely on social assistance to supplement their wages and benefits, which taken together are still insufficient to shield them from poverty. Implications for U.S. social policy are discussed.