Finding New Homes: The Migration of Lithuanian Single Mothers and Their Children in Search of Better Lives
Research shows that single mothers leave Lithuania due to a lack of welfare support, financial struggles, and difficulties balancing work and family. They migrate to aforementioned countries due to large Lithuanian communities making it easier to find job and housing. However, migration brings significant challenges, particularly for children. Many families are initially forced to live apart, and once the children join their mothers in the new country, they must adjust to a new language, education system, and social environment. These stressful periods can lead to both mental and physical strain for children.
Despite these initial hardships, once the adaptation period is over, both mothers and their children begin to benefit from the available support systems in the host country, leading to an improved quality of life—both financially, socially, and emotionally. Children gain opportunities to travel, form new social connections, learn the language, and often start to identify more with the country of migration than with Lithuania, particularly when they arrive at a young age. Over time, Lithuania may come to be seen merely as a holiday destination, as they build their lives and futures in the new country.