Eight years ago, Steffi's life changed suddenly. When she woke up in the morning, her partner and father of their children had disappeared. "We had never discussed a separation before. He didn't leave a farewell letter either," says the 46-year-old. From one moment to the next, Steffi had to look after her two children, who were one and two years old at the time, on her own. The former medical assistant was currently undergoing retraining and her few savings were used up in a short space of time. Apart from a 50 euro shopping voucher, she received no financial support from the state for the first two months. It was only when she found out by chance that she could make an urgent application to the social court that she received the money she was entitled to. 85% of single parents in Germany are women. Around 42 percent of them are at risk of poverty. Single parents do not benefit from the income splitting system for spouses. They often find it more difficult to find an apartment and a job. And her situation has hardly improved when it comes to maintenance either. Around half of all single parents receive no maintenance from their ex-partner. Many of these mothers are left without any support at all. Delia Keller (46), an artist, graphic designer and lecturer at various art colleges, is annoyed that care work is still hardly valued today. The single mother of two sons aged 12 and 14 is politically committed to the rights of single parents and is particularly critical of the inaction of politicians. Delia's ex-partner has completely stopped paying maintenance for their sons for some time now. In such cases, the state steps in and pays the so-called maintenance advance. But when the Berliner finally has the first maintenance advance in her account, she notices the following. Compared to the minimum maintenance to which all children in Germany are entitled, she is missing 125 euros a month per child because the state reduces the maintenance advance by half the amount of child benefit. If you look at history, it has always been difficult for single women. Berlin artist Margaret Raspé (90) can still remember the 1960s, when she had to raise her three daughters alone. After the divorce, she was penniless except for the house. It was a time when wives still needed their husband's permission to work and only received maintenance if they were innocently divorced. On the occasion of International Women's Day on March 8, 2024, author Susanne Jäger shows how difficult it has been for single parents for decades and how hard they still have to fight for their rights today. ???? If you liked this video, give us a like! ______ ???? A film for people up close by Susanne Jäger. This film was produced in 2024. All statements and facts correspond to the status at the time and have not been updated since then. ______ ???? More documentaries in the ARD Mediathek: https://1.ard.de/yt_doku?yt=d More documentaries on the topic: ???? I always have to function - • Being a mom with a full-time job: The daily... ???? Job or child - / watch ???? Single parent and poorer? - • Tax trick marriage - How unfair is marriage... ???? When parents separate - • Children of divorce: When the separation... ???? Am I a good father? - • Dad under stress WDR documentary ???? Baby or job? - • Child is a career killer - do I want to be a mother... ______ #Singleparent #Mom #WDRDoku #Mother #Father #Separation #Maintenance