The single mothers teaming up to raise kids

As divorce rates rise and the cost of living bites, single mothers in China are searching for a new kind of partner: each other.

- Helen Davidson TAIPEI

Across social media are posts from harried mothers seeking like-minded parents to share a home and childrearing responsibilities.

"I'm hoping to find another single mum to share an apartment with, so we can take care of each other," said a popular post on Xiaohongshu, a platform known overseas as Rednote.

"If our children are around the same age, that would be even better. Those raising kids alone know how tough it is; sometimes you're so busy you barely have time to eat." There is no specific data on the trend, but scholars say they have observed the informal support network visibly grow online, with housemate-seeking posts and broader discussions sharing advice for women considering it.

There are an estimated 30 million single mothers in China. Divorce rates are about four times higher than they were 20 years ago, despite government efforts to discourage it, and mothers take custody in more than 80% of family breakdowns. There are legal obligations around child support, but a significant proportion of singlemother families in first-tier cities live below the poverty line, according to government data.

Zhu Danyu and Fei Yuan, both single mothers, have lived together in Nanjing since 2022.