Single-Mothering as a Category of Concern in Times of Displacement: The Case of Internally Displaced Persons in Southern Philippines

Abstract

This qualitative study examined the experiences of displaced single-mothers because of conflict. The study drew findings from 16 single-mother internally displaced person (IDP) participants from Marawi City in the Philippines who participated an in-depth interview. Emergent themes revealed three dimensions where single-mothers especially suffer; physically, economically, and psychologically. While it was found that every IDP agonizes about the consequences of war, the article argued that single-mother IDPs are experiencing extra hardships considering the absence of their marital partners. Although they bear these additional difficulties, the way humanitarian help is extended to IDPs does not reflect the intricacies involved in their status. Aid is generically given to households without considering distinct household sensitivities such as single-mother IDP status. Social services for the IDPs should, therefore, utilize labels or categories which reflect or pertain to household structures (single-mothers or two-parent households) to effectively address distinct needs in displacement. Future studies may include qualitative and quantitative explorations on the degree by which single-parent and two-parent IDP households differ in the challenges they experienced. A study also on the case of single-fathers and their IDP households may also be explored to gauge the degree by which this present study can be extended to single-fathers.