Single-mother household income 40% of national average

The Japan Times reports: "As the economy worsens, some people will suffer more than others. For the first time ever, the number of Japanese single mothers receiving child-care allowances to supplement their low income has topped 1 million, the health and welfare ministry reported in March. These single-mother households greatly need additional help: Their income is stuck at 40 percent of the national average.

The 1-million-plus total, of course, involves not just mothers, but 1 million-plus children as well. Nearly 90 percent of these mothers became single through divorce, which may indicate some degree of outside child support, but not enough."

Click here for the rest of the story. You can find previous BT posts on the single-mothers in Japan here.