It is not easy for single mothers to be both mothers and fathers. In addition to the challenges of raising children on their own, a single mother has now complained of what is believed to be discrimination on the part of landlords or real estate agents who claim to give preference to tenants with a family when looking for a place to rent to live with their family and children.
According to a report by mStar, a woman complained on Facebook about the difficulties she faced in finding a house to rent because of her status as a single mother.
She said, “I’ve been looking for an apartment since last year, but the response I got was that I wanted someone with a family, and when I was told I was a single mom, I just couldn’t do it; why? Why? Don’t single mothers have families? Why? Do single moms not have families? I don’t even know if it’s the homeowner or the agent who makes these kinds of requests.”
The single mother also uploaded a screenshot of a WhatsApp conversation she had with what she believed to be a homeowner or real estate agent, in which she responded to a question about whether she was married by saying that she was a single mother living with her family, which consisted of three adults and three children.
However, the person then responded to her by saying, “I’m sorry, but we only prioritize those who have a family.”
The woman’s experience has attracted different views from netizens, some of whom sympathize with her, while others have expressed their views on the possible starting point of the homeowner’s considerations.
Some netizens said, “We should help single mothers, they need a roof over their heads, why do they need to have all kinds of conditions?”
However, other netizens commented that homeowners may be concerned that single mothers may not be able to pay their rent because of the financial challenges of having to raise a child on their own, and may be afraid to take the risk of renting their homes to them.
“There are indeed homeowners who filter their tenants’ backgrounds because they want to make sure they get their monthly rent,” the netizen said.
