Single father definition. Single mother - legal status, benefits and benefits

The number of single-parent families in the Russian Federation is growing, and usually the mother remains the only breadwinner for children. For monetary assistance, she turns to the state to receive benefits and benefits that are established by law for single mothers.

How to obtain single mother status in 2020 is of interest to many women, since they have benefits in almost all areas of life. There is Federal Law No. 81 of May 19, 1995 “On state benefits for citizens with children”; it regulates the basic benefits and payments that parents, including single mothers, can apply for.

Who can get single mother status?

Who is considered a single mother in the Russian Federation? It can be called a woman whose father is not registered in the document about the birth of a child.

Other signs:

  • the paternity of a particular citizen has not been established in court, on the basis of evidence, especially the results of DNA testing, that is, there is no judicial determination on this issue;
  • more than 300 days have passed since the divorce between the spouses;
  • there is no statement from both parents during the procedure for registering a newborn at the registry office;
  • a woman who carried out the procedure for adopting a child, at this time, without being in a marital union;
  • children appeared to a woman who, at the time of their birth, was not in a registered marriage union.

Attention! Many people mistakenly believe that if a woman divorced the father of her children, then she can legally be considered a single mother; this is not so. When she was left alone with the children as a result of a divorce, it means that a certain person is listed in the paternity section of the children's birth documents. And this factor no longer gives the right to call her a single mother, even if the father, after the divorce, does not take part in raising the children.

When registering a child with the civil registry office, the woman is issued a certificate in form No. 25, which confirms that the mother is the only parent.

The surname of such children is assigned to the mother's, and in the father column, at the woman's request, a dash is entered or the information she provides is written down.

Important! If the certificate was not issued on the day the children were registered, the woman has the right to apply for it on any day. Employees, having received all the documents, are required to issue a certificate even after the lapse of time.

Legislative consolidation of status


As of 2020, there is no definition of a single mother in the law.

There is a definition of a person with family responsibilities and a single parent raising a child on their own. These concepts are enshrined in the Resolution of the Plenum of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation of 2014, which regulates the work of persons with family responsibilities raising young children on their own. The main signs of the status of a single mother, according to the above document:

  • the presence of responsibilities for the upbringing and development of the child;
  • providing actual child care;
  • the father died, was deprived of parental rights, had limited parental rights, was declared missing, and incompetent.

Attention! Legally, the definition of a single mother applies only in the region labor law, it does not allow a woman to receive social benefits.

The key point for using benefits in the field of labor law for mothers is that she alone raises, educates, and feeds her children. She doesn't even need to have an ID to enjoy these privileges.

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In 2020, the Labor Code provides many benefits for single mothers. For example, when reducing the number of employees, it has an advantage, and there are also many incentives and benefits when organizing the working day.

Who cannot apply for status

Women who are not eligible to receive this status:

  • if she was left alone after the divorce, the father is recorded in the corresponding column in the birth certificate;
  • the paternity of the children was established in court or voluntarily;
  • the child appeared before the expiration of 300 days from the date of divorce or other circumstances, for example, the death of a spouse (Part 2 of Article 48 of the Family Code of Russia).

Procedure for obtaining status

Receiving benefits for single mothers in 2020 in the Russian Federation is more profitable and easier than trying to establish paternity and seeking to formalize child support obligations for the father.

How to obtain single mother status? Some believe that receiving a certificate in Form No. 25 is already the basis for recognizing such status, but everything is not so simple.

To assign the status of a single mother and receive her benefits and other payments, you need to contact the department social protection or MFC with a certain list of documents. A certificate in form No. 25 will only be confirmation that a woman can be classified as a single mother.

Required documents

To obtain the status of a single mother, you need to contact the department of social protection of the population or the MFC for registration with a certain list of documents. Such documents include:

  • a statement written by a woman demanding that she receive this status;
  • children's birth certificates;
  • the applicant's passport or other identification document;
  • a certificate stating that the child lives with his mother, and not with his father or another person (can be ordered at the passport office);
  • documents indicating the applicant’s income for the last three months preceding the date of application;
  • a certificate in form No. 25, a decision of a judicial authority or another document confirming the fact that this person belongs to the category of single mothers;
  • documents confirming the presence/absence of other family income (certificates from school/kindergarten);
  • account details for transferring benefits;
  • documents confirming the absence of a father in children.

After submitting documents to obtain single status, she will have to wait for the decision of the authority’s employees, which they must make no later than 10 days from the date of their receipt.

If the applicant’s request receives a positive response, a certificate will be issued that will confirm the rights of a single mother.

Denial of the right to receive benefits

When submitting documents, it is not always possible to receive a positive response.

If, after reviewing the documents, the answer is negative, then a notification will be sent in which the refusal will be clearly justified. Employees have no right to refuse without explanation. Such a decision, according to the legislation of the Russian Federation, can be appealed in court if there are grounds for this.

A woman’s status as a single mother can be removed in the following cases:

  • when she got married and new husband adopted her children;
  • if the documentation that a single mother submitted to the social security authorities to apply for benefits contains false information.

Pros and cons of acquiring single mother status


In addition to receiving benefits and benefits from the state, a woman who has registered the status of a single mother may notice the emergence of positive or negative aspects when making certain transactions or completing documentation.

This may concern both herself and her minor child.

Pros of becoming a single mother

  • receiving benefits in many areas: labor relations, social;
  • free movement of children. For example, there is no need to obtain permission from the father for the child to travel abroad. Such a problem always arises between parents, even despite the fact that the father, not wanting to participate in upbringing, simply does not allow him to go to another country, due to tense relations with his mother;
  • if the mother’s new husband wants to adopt a child, the consent of the biological father will not be required;
  • the father will have no rights to support his child in his old age.

Attention! This is a very controversial topic in the Russian Federation, but there are quite a lot of cases where a man made demands on his adult child regarding his maintenance. This cannot be called fair, since he himself did not take part in the upbringing and did not help his child with money.

Negative aspects in acquiring status

  • a woman does not have the right to sue for alimony until the man officially recognizes the child as his own. If this happens, the single mother’s status will be removed and she will no longer be able to qualify for payments from the state.
  • children are deprived of the right to inherit property from their father and his close relatives.
Important! A single mother needs to think carefully about what will be more profitable and better in her case: receive benefits from the state and have full rights to her children, or wait for alimony from their father, which may never come.

Attention! In the Russian Federation in 2020, the benefits, although not great, are there. A woman who has received the status of a single mother can always apply for them. To do this, you need to fill out all the documents and receive a certificate certifying this fact.


The status of a single mother in our country will no longer surprise anyone. This is a special status designed to ensure that women raising their children on their own have good conditions life and guarantee social rights given by the Constitution of the Russian Federation. With this status, you can receive special privileges and social benefits, in addition, single mothers receive child benefits. But still some women decide to establish paternity. Today we will talk about what is more profitable: leaving the status of a single mother or alimony is more profitable?

The status of a single mother is automatically removed after paternity is established and the “father” column is filled out in the child’s birth certificate. At the same time, she receives the right.

Contrary to public opinion, a single mother is not a woman who divorced her child's father.

Grounds for a woman to become a single mother:

  1. Birth of a child:
    1. Outside of legal marriage;
    2. After 300 days from the date of divorce.
  2. Refusal of the child's father to acknowledge his paternity;
  3. Obtaining a child’s birth certificate without indicating his father (a dash or indicating one name);
  4. Failure to establish paternity;
  5. Sole adoption of a child;
  6. Refuting paternity in court.

In other words, it is possible to obtain the status of a single mother only if there is no information about the child’s father. In addition, if a woman points to one man, but he does not confirm his paternity, then she also receives the status of a single mother.

Who can't get single mother status?

It is not always the case that a mother raising a child on her own can receive benefits from the state. So, women cannot obtain single mother status:

  • Mothers in divorce proceedings or who have recently filed for divorce;
  • If the child's father was deprived of parental rights, this does not give the right to the status of a single mother;
  • Mothers who gave birth to their child in a legal marriage;
  • Women who gave birth within 300 days after:
    • After divorce;
    • After the death of the legal husband;
    • Recognition of marriage as invalid.
  • Unmarried women whose child’s birth certificate has the father column filled in, even if the child’s father:
    • Avoids alimony;
    • Lives separately;
    • I don’t know my child;
    • Recognizes his paternity, but does not participate in the educational process.
  • The mother of a child who voluntarily refused the help of a man recognized as the blood father:
    • By the voluntary consent of the man;
    • Legally;
    • Judicially.

The legal husband is automatically considered the biological father of the wife's child. If he has evidence that the child is not his own, he can refute paternity in court.

Advantages of being a single mother: benefits, payments and allowances

Single mothers need special social protection from the state; it is for this reason that, according to Russian legislation, they have the right to special federal benefits, benefits and payments after the birth of a child.

The most important benefits they receive relate to the Labor and Tax Code, as well as a number of social benefits. The main ones include:

  1. Social benefits and payments:
    1. Compensation for the increase in the cost of living if the child is under 16 years old (for full-time education up to 18 years old) – 300 rubles. monthly;
    2. Compensation for food if the father evades child support or the child’s mother is single, for children under three years old - 675 rubles. monthly;
    3. Allowance for caring for a disabled child of group 1 or 1 until he reaches the age of 18 (except for up to 23 years if the child cannot work) - 6,000 rubles. per month;
    4. Benefit for single mothers whose total monthly income is less than living wage, established in the region of residence;
  2. Monthly allowance for single mothers to ensure the child’s standard of living:
    1. For children from 9 to 1.5 years old – 2,500 rubles. per month;
    2. For children from 1.5 to 3 years – 4,500 rubles. per month;
    3. For children from 3 to 18 years old – 2,500 rubles. per month.

To receive benefits for single mothers, you need to contact the territorial department of social protection with a certificate of income for the previous 3 months. As a rule, the application is submitted after leaving maternity leave, so that maternity payments do not fall into income.

  1. Labor benefits and guarantees:
    1. Has the right to work part-time at his own discretion until the child reaches 14 years of age;
    2. If the child is under 14 years old, then a single mother cannot be fired unless she has a series of disciplinary violations:
      1. To reduce the number of employees at the enterprise;
      2. When there is a change in management;
  • Due to inconsistency with the qualifications of the position held.
  1. If the employer decides to liquidate the company and reduce staff, the single mother will definitely get another job;
  2. Benefit for caring for a sick child:
    1. For inpatient treatment – ​​the amount is calculated based on length of service single mothers;
    2. For outpatient treatment, a single mother will receive 100% of the salary in the first 10 days of illness, and 50% will be paid for the remaining time.
  • Payment of sick leave without restrictions, if the child is under 7 years old, if older, then payment is only 15 days.
  1. The right to leave at your own expense for up to two weeks at any time, at the request of a single mother;
  2. Single mother will not work:
    1. Overtime;
    2. At night time;
  • On holidays and weekends.
  1. Tax benefits for single mothers:
    1. Double deduction in connection with the maintenance of minor children;
    2. A double deduction can be maintained if the child is a full-time student (up to 24 years old).

In addition, a single mother can claim additional benefits from the law to improve the living conditions of herself and her children. Additional benefits for single mothers who do not receive child support include:

  • Free baby underwear for newborn baby;
  • Removal of the obligation to pay for the removal of food and household waste, as well as cleaning the common area of ​​an apartment building, until the child reaches 1.5 years of age;
  • Free baby food in the dairy kitchen (milk, cottage cheese, etc.) - up to 2 years;
  • Discount on the purchase of medicines and children's medicines with a discount of up to 50%;
  • Free use and visits to children's doctors and massage rooms in a children's clinic at the place of residence;
  • Two free meals a day for children studying in general education institutions;
  • Discount (30%) on fees for additional educational institutions, clubs, sections, art, music schools, etc.

In addition, children of single mothers have benefits when entering kindergartens: no waiting list for enrollment and a 50% discount on fees. Some regions, in turn, are trying to provide single mothers with the right to receive a free sanatorium voucher to a Russian sanatorium or resort annually, as well as to a children's away camp.

How to get child support for a single mother?

Despite all the above benefits and benefits, which are designed to simplify the life of single women. It is for this reason that many of them, knowing the biological father of the child, are faced with the choice of what is more profitable: a single mother or alimony. And how to get child support from the child's father.

If a single mother receives child support, she will automatically be deprived of the status and social benefits for single mothers and other social and labor guarantees.

First of all, in order for a single mother to receive alimony, she needs to prove the paternity of the child's alleged father. This is a mandatory item for alimony registration. In addition, to obtain, you will also have to establish the relationship between the man and the child.

So, you can establish paternity and receive alimony for a child born out of wedlock:

  • Voluntarily, with the consent of the child’s father to include his name in the child’s birth certificate;
  • In court, by filing a claim to establish the paternity of the child's alleged biological father.

If the plaintiff provides insufficient evidence of the man’s biological paternity, the judge will deny her alimony, and if she has already received alimony, the payer will be able to issue it.

What is more profitable: a single mother or child support?

We will not touch upon psychological analysis of questions about what a woman should choose. Single mother status or alimony have the same goal - to protect the interests of the child and his right to receive financial assistance from both parents. The only difference: with the status of a single mother, instead of help from the child’s father, she receives help from the state.

The main advantages of being a mother of a child:

  1. Guaranteed support from the state;
  2. Often, payments for a child are greater than child support from the child’s father (unemployed, disabled, hiding real income, etc.);
  3. A man who pays child support will be able, upon receipt of incapacity for work, to demand alimony for his support from his already grown son or daughter.

In addition, a single mother is deprived of labor, tax and social benefits, but at the same time she cannot be insured against the payer, loss of his job, as well as through the court and other changes for the worse.

However, one cannot fail to note the advantages of child support:

  1. The amount of child benefit and other government payments per child is often small and hardly covers the cost of feeding the child;
  2. If the child’s father has a stable, high income, then child support will be significantly higher than child benefit;
  3. Often, maintaining a job during liquidation of an enterprise is more important for the mother of a child than receiving alimony.

How to establish paternity and receive child support?

If, when choosing: a single mother or alimony, a woman decides to collect payments for the child, then she needs to file an application to establish paternity with the court at the place of registration of herself or the alleged father of the child.

The application must indicate the following information:

  1. Full name of the court, address of its location and full name of the judge;
  2. Personal information about the parties to the case (plaintiff and defendant):
    1. Full name, date of birth;
    2. Registration address.
  3. Title of the document - Statement of claim on establishing paternity and collecting alimony for a minor child;
  4. Abstract description of the case:
    1. Relationship with the defendant;
    2. Child's full name, date of birth;
    3. Evidence of joint residence and ownership of property and other circumstances.
  5. List of evidence of biological paternity of the defendant;
  6. The requirement is to establish paternity and establish payment of child support;
  7. List of attached documents:
    1. Applicant's passport;
    2. Child's birth certificate;
    3. The result of a medical genetic examination to establish paternity;
    4. Other evidence of paternity;
    5. Certificate of income and statement of employment for both parties;
    6. Receipt for payment of state duty.
  8. Date and signature of the applicant.

You can download a sample claim to establish paternity.

Expert opinion

Marina Bespalaya

In 2011 she graduated from the University of Internal Affairs with a degree in jurisprudence. In 2013, master's degree course, specialty "law". In 2010-2011, a course at Portland State University (USA) at the Faculty of Criminal Law and Criminology. Since 2011 - practicing lawyer.

Parents should consider drawing up a document confirming the transfer of child support money. According to Art. 808 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation, receipt - confirmation of the transfer of money or material assets in a certain quantity. Also, in accordance with the Resolution of the Federal Arbitration Court of the North-Western District dated August 11, 2010 on office work No. A56-69901/2009, the receipt is the appropriate evidence to confirm the fact of the transfer of funds and the absence of debt. Therefore, the execution of the document is a guarantee of protecting the interests of participants in possible legal proceedings.

Conclusion

So, when deciding for yourself what is more profitable: single mother status or alimony, you need to carefully:

  • calculate total government assistance;
  • compare it with the estimated amount of alimony.

In addition, do not forget that according to the Family Code, the alimony payer is provided with many legal ways to reduce alimony. Therefore, many women, choosing “single mother or alimony” in the question, decide to remain in a preferential position with the state, rather than indulge themselves with illusions about huge, but unrealistic child support. Moreover, the father cannot guarantee benefits upon admission, while the state helps in obtaining an education, medical care and payment for medicines and food for the newborn.

Please note that Russian legislation is constantly changing and the information we write may become outdated. In order to resolve your question regarding Family law, you can contact the site’s lawyers for a free consultation.

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Today, a single mother no longer surprises anyone, and the number of such women in our country is growing every year. This does not mean that the birth rate is increasing. It’s just that more and more women are raising their children on their own, without the help of a father. This happens by various reasons. Let's look at how to get single mother status and what it gives.

Who is recognized as a single mother?

Any person probably understands who a single mother is. At the same time, not every single woman with a child has this status in accordance with the law.

A single mother is a woman who fulfills the responsibilities of parenthood alone, without the participation of her father. Moreover, in the Russian Federation this concept means that there is a dash in the “father” column on the child’s birth certificate.

Thus, a woman not only must raise a child alone, but also his father should not be listed anywhere in documents or be recorded as a parent simply from the words of the mother.

If a child officially has a father, even if the latter does not live with him and does not participate in his upbringing in any way, his mother can no longer be considered single. This does not depend on the fact whether the spouses are married or already divorced.

Single mothers in Russian legislation

The concept of “single mother” can be considered from the point of view of social or labor law, which provide for certain benefits for this category of the population. The Labor Code of the Russian Federation considers a single mother to be a woman who simply raises a child without a husband. That is, formally the father exists or existed previously, but, for example, he was declared incompetent or dead.

For social law, a woman is recognized as single only if the child legally does not and never had a father. Only then can she count on social benefits.

As for the Family Code of the Russian Federation, it generally does not contain such a concept as a “single mother”. To a greater extent, this expression is commonplace, but certain guarantees are still enshrined at the legislative level, for example, in the Labor and Tax Codes of the Russian Federation.

Who can apply for single mother status?

For many women, the question is very relevant: if the father is deprived of parental rights, is a woman who raises a child alone considered a single mother? In accordance with the law, this, unfortunately, is not enough to receive social benefits. After all, in fact, the child has a father and he is known. The same applies to cases when the mother is in cohabitation with a man, but their marriage is not officially registered. In fact, it turns out that the child has a father, even if he is not his own.

We have decided in what case a woman is single, but in order to formalize everything properly and have this status officially, we will have to collect certain documents confirming this state of affairs.

To obtain single mother status, the following conditions must be met:

  • the woman is not married;
  • The child has a dash in the information about the father on the birth certificate or a note “recorded from the mother’s words” is made.

A woman can count on state assistance in raising a child and receiving certain benefits and allowances only when she is legally recognized as a single mother.

Thus, a single mother is a woman:

  • who became a mother without being married or more than 300 days after its dissolution, if paternity has not been established;
  • who gave birth to a child while married or within 300 days from the date of its dissolution, but paternity was disputed;
  • unmarried and having adopted a child.

Take a sociological survey!

In order to legally become a single mother, you will have to prepare a whole package of documents. Be prepared for the fact that you will need to go through several authorities to achieve this goal.

Which authorities should I contact?

Many people are interested in where they can apply for single mother status. To do this, you need to register with the social security authorities at your place of registration. But before visiting the social security authorities at your place of residence, you will need to contact the housing office, the registry office, as well as your employer.

List of required documents

To obtain single mother status, the following documents must be attached to the application:

  • child's birth certificate;
  • mother's passport;
  • certificate of cohabitation of mother and child (taken from the housing office);
  • certificate form 25 (can be obtained from the registry office);
  • work book (in case of official employment, it is kept by the employer);
  • certificate of income for the previous 3 months.

Take care to prepare all the necessary documents in advance to save money own time and strength. Your application will still not be considered until the entire package is collected.

When contacting the social security authorities, documents confirming your status should be brought in originals, as well as copies of them.

Features of registration of benefits and benefits

After you have submitted to the appropriate authorities everything you need to confirm your status as a single mother, you will have to wait for 30 days. This is the period allocated by law for consideration of the application. When the entire procedure is successfully completed, you can apply for child benefits, pensions and benefits.

The above benefits are provided in labor, tax, social and other areas of life. Of course, they do not solve all the problems of women raising children on their own, but to a certain extent they help make their standard of living higher than the minimum established by law. this moment. You can use the benefits at your own discretion.

Registration of benefits in 2020 provides for the availability of both identical federal payments throughout the country and local assistance at the regional level. To assign them, you should again contact the social protection authorities, where a specialist will explain in detail what benefits and benefits you are entitled to.

Single mother certificate

In order to confirm the status of a single mother, the social protection authority issues a special document to the woman, on the basis of which she can apply for the benefits and benefits provided for by law.

A single mother’s certificate may be required not only when assigning payments, but also to register a child, apply for a subsidy, and when the child enters kindergarten or school and so on. True, today it is often replaced by a certificate of form 25.

Rights provided for a single mother

Let's figure out why it is necessary to make so much effort to obtain the status of a single mother and what rights a single mother has in Russia. First of all, everyone strives to get the coveted “crust” because of state benefits. These can be either one-time payments or regular ones.

In addition to financial preferences, single mothers have special rights at work:

  1. Cannot be fired due to staff reduction.
  2. As a result of the liquidation of the enterprise, they are obliged to offer them an alternative place of work.
  3. They are given additional leave.
  4. If the child is under 5 years old, his mother cannot be required to work at night, on weekends or holidays, as well as overtime work.
  5. At their own discretion, women with children under 14 years of age can work part-time.

Single mothers also have privileges in other areas of life. In particular, they have the right to free:

  • bed linen and diapers;
  • food until the child reaches 3 years of age;
  • medical supplies;
  • health vouchers;
  • visiting a massage therapist.

Single mothers are provided with subsidies for utility bills and benefits for education.

This list is not exhaustive; every year it is replenished with new components.

Benefits for single mothers

In part, we have already figured out what advantages the status of a single mother provides. They can be divided into several categories:

  • material,
  • labor,
  • social,
  • tax,
  • housing.

Authorities are developing many regional programs aimed at supporting single mothers.

Benefits for single mothers

A mother raising a child on her own can count on the same benefits that a woman with a full family receives, namely:

  • for pregnancy and childbirth;
  • for child care;
  • at birth.

It is quite difficult to talk about any specific established figures. Every year, the amounts that single women with a child receive change.

Maternity capital program

For more than 10 years in Russia there has been a state program to support families with children. Since 2020, new legislative acts have come into force that introduce changes to its functioning. In particular, the duration of the program is extended, the possibilities for using payments are expanded, and much more.

Protecting the rights of a woman raising a child alone

Protection of the rights of single mothers is provided for and guaranteed by law. Various legal acts stipulate their benefits and rights, violation of which may result in legal liability.

Child benefits for a single mother: Video

Master of Law. Also in 2012, he received the specialty “Financial Analytics”. After receiving a second higher education, he founded an independent appraisal company. I am engaged in the assessment of real estate, land and other property.

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Who qualifies as single mothers?

Despite the fairly frequent mention of the concept of “single mother” in various regulations, current legislation does not contain a clear definition of this concept.

The generally accepted concept of a single mother is a mother in whose child’s birth certificate there is no entry about the father, or the entry about the father was made from the words of the mother.

Thus, the concept of “single mother” is characterized by the presence of a woman with a child without legal paternity. Due to the fact that the father of such a child has not been officially identified, parental rights and responsibilities are assigned only to the mother.

This characteristic of the concept of “single mother” also corresponds to the procedure for entering information about parents into the child’s birth certificate and into the birth register, established, respectively, in paragraph 3 of Art. 17 of the Federal Law of November 15, 1997 N 143-FZ “On Acts of Civil Status” and clause 3 of Art. 51 of the Family Code of the Russian Federation.

The Labor Code of the Russian Federation provides guarantees for single mothers whose children’s birth certificates do not contain an entry about the child’s father or the entry was made in the prescribed manner at the direction of the mother.

At the same time, the lack of a definition of the concept of “single mother” for the purpose of applying the rules Labor Code The Russian Federation (in particular, Article 261 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation) allows law enforcement officials (including judges) to interpret this concept more broadly - this is not only a woman who gave birth to a child out of wedlock and in whose birth certificate an entry about the father is made according to the words of the mother. A woman raising a child alone after divorce is also recognized as a single mother within the meaning of part three of Art. 261 Labor Code of the Russian Federation

A single mother is understood not only as a woman who gave birth to a child out of wedlock, provided that the children’s birth certificate does not contain a record of the child’s father or the record was made in the prescribed manner at the direction of the mother, but also a woman whose children initially have a father who is recorded on their birth certificates, but she is forced to raise the children alone in his absence (due to the death or death of her husband, recognition of the father as missing, deprivation of his parental rights, etc.).

However, women who are raising children in a single-parent family after a divorce, or women who gave birth to a child out of wedlock, whose paternity has been established in court or recognized voluntarily, if there is actually a father, cannot be considered single mothers, since the obligation to exercise parental rights ( including upbringing), the legislation does not connect it with the fact that the parents are married (Chapter 12 of the RF IC).

In other words, the status of a single mother is assigned to a woman due to the fact that her child does not have a father - legally (paternity has not been established, the father is deprived of parental rights), or in fact (due to death, unknown absence).

Thus, in the absence of a definition of the concept of “single mother,” single mothers can be classified as:

Women who gave birth and are raising children out of wedlock, provided that there is no entry about the father in the child’s birth certificate or the entry was made at the direction of the mother;

Women who, without being married, adopted a child;

Women whose children initially have a father, he is recorded in their birth certificates, but she is forced to raise the children alone, for example, due to the death of her husband, his recognition as missing, or deprivation of parental rights.

An additional document that can help in establishing the status of “single mother” is a certificate from the social security authorities about the status of a single mother (father) and receipt of benefits.