IS THE SHECESSION THE NEXT PANDEMIC?

Single women with children are traditionally among the most financially vulnerable group of people as it is. The onslaught of COVID-19 has only added to this sad state of affairs, because women tend to not only hold down lowwage jobs but are also primarily responsible for the physical and financial care of their children

“The South African government recently moved the country back to alert Level 4, a move to curb the spread of infections that have risen consistently each day. In addition, most of South Africa’s COVID-19 socio-economic relief measures have been terminated, despite the ongoing impacts of the pandemic and associated lockdowns. Vulnerable sectors continue to shed jobs, business turnover has decreased, and liquidations have increased. Across communities and households, incomes are declining, increasing hunger and food insecurity,” so says Gugulethu Makhubo, on behalf of the Institute for Economic Justice, in a recent statement.

With women having been the victims of the majority of the job losses in our country, they have been the hardest hit by the pandemic. In the trade industry, 341 000 jobs have gone, while losses in private households have amounted to 189 000 (figures provided by the Institute for Economic Justice). So with many South African women being employed in some of the worst-paid sectors of the labour market, such as domestic, retail and hospitality work, these losses have contributed to an already-dire situation, with women being deprived of even the meagre incomes they relied on.

These job losses undoubtedly caused women to regress in their efforts to achieve financial equality, largely wiping out the strides they had managed to made before COVID hit.

According to PwC’s annual Women in Work Index, by the end of 2021, women’s progress in the workplace could be back at the level that it was in 2017. With the majority of households in South Africa being headed up by single females, this news is devastating. The reality is, single-income mothers are struggling to feed their families and keep the lights on after the hard knock of the various stages of lockdown.

DEEPER AND DEEPER INTO THE HOLE

This pause on women’s progress in the workplace doesn’t just widen the existing pay gap, but it also leads to women digging a deeper hole of debt. In May, the National Debt Advisors (NDA) revealed that 80% of South African households spent their income on paying off debt.

The picture becomes bleaker when it comes to women. Although 80% of women budget their income, 70% cannot make it to the end of the month, according to the NDA’s managing director, Charnel Ernstzen. This leads them to seek out unsecured debt, and some resort to approaching unregistered money lenders (mashonisas) in the township areas, she says. (“Unsecured debt” means loans that are made without any financial backing – known as collateral – behind them.)

With 60% of South African homes being supported by single mothers, as shown by an analysis done by Eighty20’s Credit Bureau, the scales don’t tip in favour of women who are raising their children on their own.

Tracy Naidoo (48), an internal marketing manager in Centurion, understands how going into more debt can seem like a security blanket when you are raising children alone.

“Saving is a luxury that we single moms just cannot afford,” she admits. “Our day-to-day expenses are all-encompassing, leaving no room for surprises. Unexpected expenses, such as a new tyre or emergency plumbing, are incidentals that we never think about, let alone budget for,” she adds.

Queen Mokoena has first-hand experience of how COVID -19 has affected single mothers when it comes to money. A number of single mothers have come to this financial adviser from North Riding, in Gauteng, for assistance in managing their money successfully.

“A lot of the women I saw couldn’t cope,” she says. “So many of them compromised their long-term security by stopping payments on their life insurance, which is a bad idea when you consider the pandemic. Even though they might be healthy now, and have no chronic conditions, this is a risky strategy.

“Some women wanted me to assist them to borrow money from their investments, or to surrender their retirement policies, so that they could get access to cash,” she says.

This pinch affects mothers of both younger and older children. Fulufelo Mudau (46) knows exactly how hard it can be to make ends meet. When Level 5 lockdown hit, her children had to come back home to live with her temporarily because university campuses around the country closed.

“It was very difficult,” Fulufelo admits. “Firstly, having them in my space when I’m used to living on my own took a lot of adjustment. Financially, it was quite a strain to take care of all their needs when they were at home with me – such as buying food almost every day,” she says.

As a mom who hadn’t taken care of her child full time, I had to change so much about my spending habits

Karabo Masiu (30), a business operations specialist who moved back home to Klerksdorp in the North West province once she had the option to work remotely, has had to make some financial adjustments that she never expected, now that she lives with her young son. “As a mom who hadn’t taken care of her child full time before, I had to change so much about my spending habits,” she shares. “Apart from school fees, clothing and food, we’re putting a strain on utilities because we’re at home all the time. Making my home comfortable for my child has become a basic necessity.”

PROVIDING JUST THE BASICS IS HARD

Although these women are relieved that they have job security and the means to provide for their families, their experiences with the difficulties of doing it on their own, helps them understand how a single mother can turn to debt as a path to easing their financial distress.

Karabo understands that single mothers may not necessarily want to give their children luxuries, but they do want to provide the basics or the things that we sometimes take for granted.

“Sometimes you just want to have enough money to get to work,” she says. “I’ve had an experience where the school once told me that they would suspend my son if I didn’t pay school fees, so I understand why a mother would take an unsecured loan to give her children what they need,” she adds.

Tracy feels that shame gets in the way of single moms asking for help. “Our family members can only help so much, or if you are like me, you don’t ask because you don’t want people to know. So, you would rather turn to loan sharks who don’t ask questions. The fear of being judged and stigmatised has many single women taking on unsecured debt.”

“Living from pay day to pay day puts us in a compromising situation. And secured loans from the bank aren’t available to all women, because our credit rating doesn’t allow for it,” she adds.

IT’S A MAN’S WORLD

Before COVID-19, single women were already facing the challenge of not making ends meet, as compared to men. According to a COVID -19 Africa Watch report, women say they are twice as likely to be unable to afford necessities for more than a month after lost earnings, compared to men, with Black women three times as likely to report this fiscal vulnerability.

Charnel confirms this: “Through our daily interaction and research at NDA, we have found that debt affects South Africans from all walks of life – irrespective of gender, colour, culture, and income brackets. However, as with many other things in life, we found that there are specific financial issues that women deal with differently from men.”

Because of the financial difficulties that women already experience, more of them are exiting the workforce at a faster rate than men. This is because women carry a heavier burden when it comes to unpaid care and domestic work. This has undoubtedly increased during the pandemic, and it is limiting women’s time and options to contribute to the economy. Queen’s experience illustrates this situation.

“Most women don’t earn the same amount as men. Then you have single mothers who get no financial assistance from their partners. And things are expensive now – R1 000 gets you only

a handful of items at the supermarket. It’s difficult to provide for your children in these circumstances, but they have to look to mom to carry them through,” she says.

There’s a lot to be done about the systemic inequality of our society: for example fathers could ease the burden for single mothers by doing their part to contribute towards the raising of their kids. However, recent reports show that the number of single-mother homes is growing in South Africa, placing an even further financial weight on women who do not get support from their children’s fathers, and making it difficult or impossible for them to keep up with their monthly debt repayments, as compared to those who do receive support from the men.

Karabo can say the same of her experience: “I am coparenting with my son’s father, but I still don’t have the comfort of planning our finances together. I have to be realistic and accept that some months, I will have to do it on my own.”

PARTNER WITH YOUR CHILDREN

Although mothers may feel they have to go it alone, sometimes they can look to their children to support them through their difficulties, where fitting.

“This is the most challenging of all times for me, even more so than when I got divorced. I find the combination of being a stayat-home mom, manager, teacher, driver, cook and domestic, overwhelming,” says Tracy.

Fulufelo also thinks that parents shouldn’t be afraid to confide in their children, so that they understand that they are going through a tough time.

“If you have only R100 to spend at that time, tell your children how much you have and what you’re planning to do with it so that they understand that money is tight,” she advises.

“You can also ask your children what they think is the best way to spend the money, so that they feel that they are part of the solution, and not the problem,” she adds.

Queen agrees, and thinks that it goes a long way towards building a healthy relationship with your children.

“They need to understand your financial standing. You have to curb unnecessary expectations, so that you don’t feel guilty when you can’t do something for them that month,” she says.

DON’T BE AFRAID TO ASK FOR HELP OR TO HUSTLE

Queen goes on to say that single mothers who are stuck in a cycle of debt need to face the fact that they are in trouble and need assistance.

“You cannot solve what you don’t acknowledge. Seek help from a professional to start digging your way out of the debt hole,” she advises.

Fulufelo admits that tough times have landed her in situations where she had to do domestic work to get by. “I used to iron people’s clothes, but I did it for my children. Go out and sell what you can; use your natural skills that to make some extra cash. No one will judge you – you are doing it for your children,” she says.

As solutions for combating COVID are stepped up in South Africa, we can only hope single mothers who bore the financial brunt aren’t forgotten once the world has moved on from the pandemic. ■