My Single Parenthood

The “My Single Parenthood” is an autobiographical record of my lived experience of growing up in a single parent family. Through my emotional and visual perception, I chronicle the importance of motherhood in the single parent family.

The combination of photographic frames presents the story with documentary and conceptual elements. The photography process was a very emotional journey as it was the first time I photographed my mother. But an even more novel experience was self-photographing with her.

In the late 1980s my parents got divorced. At a time when in Greece the institution of the family was still solidly based, my mother raised three minor children on her own at a young age. She has her origin in Asia Minor and she was born in Piraeus, with a father who was a famous accordionist on the music scene of that era. She studied at a sewing school as a dressmaker and a pattern-maker. It was the profession she practiced throughout the years in order to fulfill the needs of our family.

The single parent is often burdened with the roles of both parents, facing social stigma as well as low levels of social support. It is important to understand how family structure affects the family’s standard of living.

Also, statistical surveys of single-parent families reveal that most single parents are women. This is information that reflects the amount of the empowerment required by social welfare for the role of motherhood.

On the occasion of narrating my personal story, I wish to awaken awareness for a collective consciousness that will create a new, inclusive society. In its new structure I envision equality, supportiveness, openness and empathy to all forms of diversity. Only true stories have the power to change the world.