Abstract

There are very few scientific researches on family structure, especially on single-parent families, and they do not follow the rapid changes within the family structure. Therefore, we can draw conclusions on problems and difficulties in single-parent families based on a small number of researches conducted. Society is expected to provide families with the greatest protection and support possible, regardless of the type of family, so that they can fully fulfill their tasks and responsibilities within the community (Maleš, 1999). However, the society’s response to the needs of families, and especially of single-parent families, is not quick, strong or effective enough. Apart from the phrase “single-parent family”, other phrases were once used in professional literature as synonyms, such as: “abandoned” or “incomplete family”, “deficient family”, “broken family”, “truncated” or “fractional family”. However, due to their stigmatization and negative connotations, such phrases have since been abandoned. Today, phrases with a narrower meaning are used, for instance “single parent”, “one parent”, “parent without a spouse” and “parent living alone” (PiorkovskaPetrović, 1990). According to the Social Welfare Act (OG 157/13, 152/14, 99/15, 52/16, 16/17 and 130/17), a single parent is a parent who takes care of their child and supports them on their own, and a single-parent family is a family made up of a child or children and one parent. According to the postmodern paradigm, language use is of great importance (Ajduković, 2008), and according to Rabateg-Šarić, Pećnik and Josipović (2003), the term “single-parent family” is the most appropriate one, as it is value-neutral and points to what single parents have in common, which is the fact that one parent raises a child alone.


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Znanstvenih istraživanja o obiteljskoj strukturi, posebno o jednoroditeljskim obiteljima, je vrlo malo i ne prate brze promjene unutar obiteljske strukture. Stoga, o problemima i teškoćama u jednoroditeljskim obiteljima možemo zaključivati na temelju malog broja provedenih istraživanja. Od društva se očekuje da obitelji, neovisno o kojem se tipu obitelji radi, pruži najveću zaštitu i potporu kako bi ona mogla u potpunosti ispuniti svoje zadaće i odgovornosti unutar određene zajednice (Maleš, 1999). No, društvo na potrebe, posebno jednoroditeljskih obitelji ne odgovara dovoljno brzo, snažno i djelotvorno. Nekada su se, u stručnoj literaturi uz izraz jednoroditeljska obitelj, kao sinonim koristili različiti izrazi kao što su: napuštena ili nekompletna obitelj, deficijentna obitelj, razorena obitelj, krnja ili nepotpuna obitelj. No, radi stigmatizacije i negativog prizvuka danas su takvi nazivi napušteni. Koriste se neki izrazi koji su po svom značenju uži, npr. samohrani roditelj, roditelj samac, jedan roditelj, roditelj bez bračnog partnera, roditelj koji živi sam (Piorkovska – Petrović, 1990). Prema Zakonu o socijalnoj skrbi ( NN 157/13, 152/14, 99/15, 52/16, 16/17 i 130/17) samohrani roditelj je roditelj koji sam skrbi za svoje dijete i uzdržava ga, a jednoroditeljska obitelj je obitelj koju čine dijete, odnosno djeca i jedan roditelj. Prema postmodernističkoj paradigmi velika je važnost uporabe jezika (Ajduković, 2008), a prema Raboteg-Šarić, Pećnik i Josipović (2003), termin “jednoroditeljske obitelji” je najprikladniji, jer je vrijednosno neutralan i jer ističe ono što je zajedničko samohranim roditeljima, a to jest činjenica da jedan roditelj sam odgaja dijete.