Clara Forehand: Race, Ethnicity, Culture, or Religion - Single Mothers

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During the tour of Casablanca, our tour guide briefly mentioned how single mothers in Morocco face significant exclusion and ostracization when she explained the Princess of Morocco’s charity work. I know that single mothers also face certain stigmas in the United States, but usually women who become single mothers have at least some support from family or community. However, due to the culture in Morocco, single mothers are a substantial break in gender norms and challenge the existing social order; this leads to their economic and social exclusion, which can be passed on to their children (Berwick, 2017). Yet in recent decades, more charity groups have been established in Morocco to help these mothers, such as Association Solidarité Féminine (ASF) and International Support Network of Alienated Families (ISNAF), both of which provide legal and psychological support. I have known multiple single mothers in my community throughout my life, so I have seen how much they do to support their children. I hope this social change continues so that single mothers in Morocco are also able to support their children however they need to. 

Links to charities that support single mothers:

https://borgenproject.org/aicha-chenna/

https://familyforeverychild.org/alliance-members/insaf/


References

Berwick, L. (2017). Single Mothers in Morocco: Social Stigma and Struggle for Identity. https://moroccanchildrenstrust.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Berwick-2017-Single-Mothers-in-Morocco-Social-Stigma-and-Struggle-for-Identity.pdf

Comments

  1. Reagan BaldreeMay 14, 2025 at 3:45 PM

    Clara, I must have missed this part of the tour but am so glad you could fill me in. I was unsure what kind of legal support was being taken into proactive measures but according to an article I read, they are trying to fight for the legal right of the child to carry the birth father's last name in order to gain monetary alimony and other useful funds. These organizations you listed are amazing examples of ways to help. This is such a great cause to be charitable with!

    https://www.blogger.com/blog/posts/8924913473234164816

    ReplyDelete
  2. Reagan BaldreeMay 14, 2025 at 3:46 PM

    Unsure why the link isn't working correctly, but this is the title of the article.

    ReplyDelete

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