for the improvement of their family. They need to be strong
and emotionally ready to handle all the emotions they feel and of their
children.       

Kowal and Pradhakar (2009) cited that financial crises are
notable situations where most of the single parent families experienced. They
have difficulties in meeting the basic needs of children such as food,
clothing, school fees, and maintaining the previous standard of living and meet
personal expenses. Working female solo parents tend to suffer from a feeling of
restlessness and lack of identity after divorce/widowhood because of what
happened in their past. This is especially true of women whose identity was
formerly associated with that of their husband. For many women, feelings of
guilt, shame, resentment, anger, and anxiety, about the future are so dominant
that they bring out personality changes”.

Further, working female solo parents have much responsibility
in handling the challenges they encountered in terms of financial crises. They
are the only ones who provide for the needs of their children. They do all the
possible way to make sure that they can provide the needs of their family and
to do their responsibilities as a parent to their children.

From
the group of the Single Parenting
Anonymous (2011) “managing time can be a huge challenge for solo parents,
especially those who are also working. The
life of a solo parent can be very busy. They could be juggling work, home, and
school in addition to parenting. However, one of the most important things they
can give to their child is quality time with them”.

In
addition, working female solo parents have difficulties whenit comes to their
time. It is difficult for them to be away from their children especially when
these are still very young. Solo parents need to balance their time for work
and for their family to establish good and harmonious relationships with their
children. Spending time with families has a big impact for their children to
feel comforted and for them to still feel happy even if their situation is
unbalanced.

To
help single parents the Solo Parent Act
(R.A. 8972) was enacted. It is a comprehensive program and services for solo
parents and their children. Furthermore, this law covers whoever between the
fathers or the mothers as to who will take charge of the child or their
children in the absence of a spouse due to death, due to legal separation or in
a crime scenario like rape and abandonment. This law also considers those solo
parents who are left to take care of a child, nephews, nieces or godchild as
long as they are capable in upbringing the said children/relatives.

As observed by the researchers, the working female
solo parents in Barangay Aglayan, Malayabalay City is increasing, because of
common reasons; the separation of couple due to the financial issues or because
of irreconcilable marital issues. In some cases, solo parents happen when
either the young parents experienced early pregnancy and could not carry on
parenting responsibilities, are advised to separate because they could not handle
early marriage life. With this dilemma, some of them would prefer to be a
single parent and raise the child on their own, rather than to struggle the
agony of their miserable situation.

The purpose of this study is therefore to identify
the challenges encountered by the working female solo parent that result to
improper management in raising their child/children. With these challenges this
will determine their ability in handling difficulties they had encountered.

 

Framework
of the Study

This
study is anchored from the Feminist Theory on the study of children with
parents (1997).According to the theory the major problem of the solo parents
encountered in their situation is on poverty. Solo parents experienced poverty
because of low income compare to the complete family. Solo parents will provide
all the needs of their children alone. They will make all the decision for
their family and find solutions on whatever problems they encountered in their
lives. Solo parent encountered emotional problem because they feel stressful,
pressured and fatigue due to over thinking of all the problem might come. Solo
parents have difficulties to handle their time in building relationships with
their children. The children also experienced bullying from other people considering
that they have no father. This situation could affect their psychological
development.

 

 

 

Statement of the Problem

          The study identified the challenges of working female
solo parents of Barangay Aglayan, Malaybalay City in the year 2017-2018. 

Specifically, it answered the
following queries:

1.  
What are the challenges encountered
by the working female solo parents in terms of:

      1.1
Financial;

      1.2
Emotional; and

      1.3 Time
management?

2.  
What the coping mechanism of working
female solo parent on the challenges they encountered in terms of:

2.1       
Financial

2.2       
Emotional; and

2.3       
Time management?

 

Significance of the
Study

          The result of the study would
hopefully benefit and provide information to the following:

To the working
female solo parents, this study would let them know and identify what are
the challenges they encountered as a working solo parent that they may be
guided on how to cope up with the challenges.

          To the barangay administrators, this would guide them as a reference in
implementing a livelihood project program in order to subsidize the working
solo parent with additional source of income.

To the children,
it would also guide them not to engage in any extra activities that can
possibly ruin their life; to help them realize that it is not easy to be in
this kind of situation; and to give them courage to do the right thing to have
a better life

To the family
of solo parents, it would serve them as a reference on how to discipline
their child.

To thecommunity,
it wouldserve as a tool for them to teach the youth in their community on what
are the cause and effect of doing such thing that can give bad influence to
them.

          To thefuture researchers, the study would be an avenue for further
research, on the challenges encountered by working female solo parent and the
factors affecting the said dilemma.

 

Delimitation
of the Study

          This study was delimited to the
working female solo parents in Barangay Aglayan Malaybalay City, Bukidnon in
the year 2017 in terms of the following: financial, emotional and time
management.

This
study used an in-depth interview to gather data. During interview the
researchers used researchers-made questionnaire. Out of 146 working female solo
parents that was recorded in barangay Aglayan the researchers purposively chose
only (8) eight working female solo parents to participate in this study. This
enables the researchers to collect data about the challenges that the working
female solo parents encountered.

Definition of Terms

          The following terms are defined theoretically
and operationally to have better understanding of this study:

          Solo
Parent.Solo parents are those parents who take care of their children
without a companion due to death of spouse, unmarried, or separation (). In
this study, it refers to those female solo parents who are working to meet the
needs of her child/children.

Challenges.
Challenges is the kind of situation being faced with something that needs great
mental or physical effort in order to be done successfully and therefore tests
a person’s ability (Cambridge Dictionary,2016).

          In this study, it pertains to the
situational challenges encountered by the working female solo parent in terms
of: Financial, Emotional and Time Management

          Financial Needs.Financial
need means pertaining or relating to those commonly engage in dealing money
information or data. (Free Dictionary 2000). In this study, it refers to the
financial capability of the working female solo parents in providing the needs
of their children.

          Emotional
Need. Emotional need is a psychological or mental requirement of
intrapsychic origin that usually centers on such basic feelings as love, fear,
anger, sorrow, anxiety, frustration, and depression and involves the
understanding, empathy, and support of one person for another. Such needs
normally occur in everyone but usually increase during periods of excessive
stress or physical and mental illness and during various stages of life, such
as infancy, early childhood, and old age (Mosby’s Medical Dictionary, 2009). In
this study, it refers to the emotional characteristics that the working female
solo parents encountered in their work and with their children.

Time Management. Time management is
the analysis of how working hours are spent and prioritization of tasks in
order to maximize personal efficiency in the workplace (William Collins Sons,
2012). In this study, it refers to the time management of the working female
solo parents to spend with their children. How they balance their time with
their children and their work.