05:00, 01 June 2026
Words by Cheyanne Bryan, Editorial and Campaign Marketing Executive, London
You can do this on your own… and you don’t need to!
As the world marks the Global Day of Parents, attention turns to the dedication, resilience and love shown by parents everywhere. It is also an important opportunity to recognise single-parent families — households that continue to hold communities together while often facing disproportionate financial and emotional pressures.
Across the UK, nearly 1 in 4 families are headed by a single parent. These families are central to society, yet many still experience poverty, stigma and isolation. For more than a century, Gingerbread has been working to change that, offering practical support while campaigning for lasting social and policy reform.
Founded in 1918 by Lettice Fisher in the aftermath of the First World War, Gingerbread emerged at a time when single parents faced severe hardship and little social recognition. More than 100 years later, the charity says many of the same challenges remain.
A Gingerbread spokesperson reflected on the organisation’s long history of support, saying it was created “in the shadow of the First World War, when single parents received little support or acknowledgement and they and their children faced a lifetime of poverty.”
While much has changed socially and politically since then, the charity continues to see families struggling with similar issues today — particularly around income, childcare and societal judgement.
Despite the majority of single parents being in work, single-parent families remain twice as likely to live in poverty as couple-parent households. Rising living costs, limited access to flexible employment and an expensive childcare system all contribute to the pressure.
Yet Gingerbread is clear that single-parenthood itself is not the issue. As a spokesperson emphasised to Smiley News: “Single parents are brilliant and we know that being brought up in a single-parent family doesn’t impact a child’s life chances or wellbeing.”
Instead, it is poverty and lack of support that create disadvantage — something the charity is determined to challenge through both practical services and advocacy.
Gingerbread provides free online guidance on issues ranging from benefits and child maintenance to employment rights and holidays. Alongside this, its online and in-person support groups offer something equally vital: connection.
These spaces allow single parents to share experiences, reduce isolation and feel understood, often for the first time. Workshops and wellbeing resources also help parents build confidence and access practical tools to navigate daily challenges.
The organisation’s approach is rooted in empowerment rather than sympathy, combining advice with community and campaigning for long-term structural change.
Single-parent families have historically faced judgement and misunderstanding, and although attitudes have improved, stereotypes persist. Gingerbread highlights that these narratives have deep historical roots, dating back centuries when unmarried mothers were publicly shamed and excluded from their communities.
A Gingerbread spokesperson explained that over time, attitudes have fluctuated but stigma has endured, noting that “throughout the 1980s and 90s, single parents were increasingly scapegoated in political debate and public attitudes hardened.”
Today, the charity is working to shift that narrative — focusing on strength, resilience and the reality of modern family life.
Single parents face a complex set of challenges: raising children on one income, navigating an expensive childcare system and balancing work without sufficient flexibility. These pressures are compounded by isolation and financial insecurity.
A spokesperson summed up the reality many families face, saying: “Parenting isn’t easy for anyone but juggling all that comes with having a child on only one income with a lack of flexible work and while navigating our dysfunctional and expensive childcare system makes life particularly hard for single parents.”
The message is clear: systemic barriers, not family structure, are what need to change.
Alongside its support services, Gingerbread has long been a campaigning organisation. From early efforts to abolish workhouses to today’s focus on the Child Maintenance Service, affordable childcare and flexible working, its mission has remained consistent: to improve life for single-parent families.
The charity continues to push for reforms that would reduce poverty and ensure policies work with families rather than against them.
This year, Gingerbread will mark Parents’ Day through its online platforms and community spaces, encouraging single parents to share their experiences and feel celebrated.
It also continues to champion Single Parents Day each March, including its popular “Single Parent Superhero” campaign, which highlights stories of resilience and everyday achievement across the UK.
Perhaps the most powerful message from Gingerbread is also the simplest. As a spokesperson advises: “You can do this on your own… and you don’t need to!”
It is a reminder that while single parenting can be demanding, no one has to face it in isolation — support, community and guidance are available.
On the Global Day of Parents, the celebration of families must include action as well as recognition. Supporting single parents means addressing poverty, improving childcare, expanding flexible working and challenging outdated stereotypes.
With the right support in place, single-parent families can continue to thrive — not in spite of their circumstances, but fully supported by a fairer and more inclusive society.
To learn more about Gingerbread’s work, campaigns or how to get involved, visit Gingerbread.
At Smiley Movement, we like to elevate the work of charities across the world. Here are three charities whose causes align with the themes in this article.
Gingerbread. A UK-based charity that has supported single-parent families for over a century through free advice, peer support networks and practical guidance on issues such as benefits, child maintenance and employment rights. It also campaigns for systemic change to tackle poverty, improve childcare access and challenge stigma faced by single parents. Discover their work here.
Single Parent Project. A US-based organisation dedicated to supporting single parents and their children through community programmes, mentoring and emotional support. It focuses on reducing isolation, building resilience and helping families access the resources they need to thrive. Find out more here.
Save the Children. An international charity working across multiple countries to improve children’s lives through education, protection and emergency relief. It supports vulnerable families, including single-parent households, by addressing poverty, inequality and access to essential services. Learn more here.
This positive news article aligns with the UN SDG Reduced Inequalities.
