In 2025, 202 single parents told Frolo about their biggest challenges and the support they want. Their answers match what our community has told us for years: single parents are juggling everything alone, and most want help with overwhelm.

Key findings

• 70% want help managing overwhelm and stress (142 of 202).
• 73% want help building a full and happy life.
• 60% want help with friends and community.
• Asked for their biggest challenge in their own words, about 3 in 10 named time and juggling, about 1 in 4 named loneliness or having no support, and about 1 in 5 named money.
• 73% would want a support community of other single parents as part of any course.

Who took part?

• Separated or divorced: 113 (56%)
• Solo parents: 56 (28%)
• Solo by choice: 15 (7%)
• Widowed: 10 (5%)
• Other: 8 (4%)

What support do single parents want?

Parents could choose as many areas as they liked:

• Building a full and happy life: 73%
• Managing overwhelm and stress: 70%
• Becoming the best version of themselves: 66%
• Supporting their children: 64%
• Friends and community: 60%
• Dating: 57%
• Financial guidance: 41%
• Co-parenting: 29%
• Legal guidance: 26%
• Getting back into work: 18%

Among separated or divorced parents (113), 43% want financial guidance and 34% want legal guidance.

What is the hardest part of being a single parent?

We grouped parents' own answers into themes. Many named more than one. These counts are approximate.

• Time and juggling everything: about 29%
• Their children's needs, including special educational needs: about 27%
• Loneliness or having no support: about 23%
• Money: about 20%
• Their ex or co-parenting: about 20%
• Work and childcare: about 19%
• Stress and burnout: about 19%

Is overwhelm new?

No. In an earlier Frolo survey, 68% of 192 parents said they were interested in a course on self-care for stress and overwhelm. In 2025, 70% of 202 parents asked for help with overwhelm.

In their words

"Doing it all alone without a backstop"

"Managing three people's lives and diaries on top of working full time"

"Loneliness. Weekends without friends who have kids the same age."

"Little time, little savings"

"Juggling life and the shame attached to single parenting"

About this survey

Frolo ran this survey online. 202 parents responded. An earlier Frolo survey of 192 parents is used for comparison. Parents chose to take part, so the results describe these parents' experiences rather than all single parents. Open-text themes were grouped by keyword and checked by hand, so those figures are approximate. All quotes are anonymous.

How to cite this research

Frolo (2025). What single parents struggle with most. Survey of 202 single parents. frolo.com

Frolo is the community app for single parents. Read more of what our community has told us.