Struggling to Make Ends Meet: Lone Mothers and Intergenerational Support in Sweden

Abstract

Economic divisions have deepened in Sweden in recent years, and lone mothers are one group where the poverty rate has increased most (Salonen 2014). At the same time, differences between the situations of lone mothers have also increased (Lundqvist 2014). As a consequence, intergenerational support from grandparents in terms of care and financial transfers are important (see also Hallerod 2008). This article is based on a qualitative study of lone mothers in Sweden and analyses the care and financial support provided by grandparents. This article poses the following questions: how is intergenerational support for lone mothers carried out; how do lone mothers experience this support; and how is this support negotiated in terms of dependency on grandparents? The article concludes that for the lone mothers in this study grandparental care arrangements are very important in enabling them to combine work and care. As for financial transactions, for some mothers they are crucial in making ends meet, while for others they mainly maintain a standard of living.