在社會福利的發展歷史中，單親家庭，尤其是女性單親家庭的貧窮處境及衍生的相關問題特別受到關注。近年來，在單親家庭的福利政策上，同時可見「需求」與「勞動市場參與」兩項原則與策略的運用；我國政府及非營利組織也開始透過多元就業、職業培訓及微型創業等各種方案，協助單親、家暴或經濟弱勢婦女就業或創業，以積極改善家庭經濟生活，脫離貧窮困境。女性單親在尋職或就業以及面臨工作與家庭需求相互衝突的困境時，其可連結使用的社會槓桿之作用能力與社會支持網絡之回應性殊為重要。然而多數女性單親所擁有的上述兩項社會資本卻相當薄弱。本研究主要以一個民間社會服務機構於2009 起所發展協助女性單親創業的脫貧方案進行個案研究，探索該機構如何運用多年來累積的社會教育服務網絡作為女性單親發展創業機會的平台？在女性單親創業過程中所帶來的槓桿作用與效應(social leverage)為何？女性單親就業過程中可能面臨的工作與家庭角色負荷，她們如何運用與發展社會支持網絡(social support)來因應困境等。研究結果期待對於社會工作專業服務的知識理論積累與協助女性單親創業的策略規劃有實質助益。 Historically, the poverty of single-mother families has been highly concerned. “Needs” and “Employment”are two strategies combined to lift single mothers out of poverty. In recent years, the Government of Taiwan and some human service organizations have also made endeavor to help single mothers, battered women and the economically disadvantaged to enter the labor market, either being employed or running small businesses. Through the participation in the labor market, it is expected that these women might be able to accumulate assets and to improve the economic and social conditions of their families. In the process of searching jobs or creating businesses, however, most single mothers are disturbed by lacking of available and useful social networks, which make them difficult to pursuit their goals. Even being employed, single mothers also face the conflict of balancing their family needs and work demand. Therefore, the availability and responsiveness of social capital both in helping single mothers to deal with family needs and to bridge them to better employment opportunities is important. This case study research is based on a program developed by a social service organization through 2009. The “War on Poverty”program targets on fifteen poor single mothers in the first two years, by using the organizational networks (which has been accumulated for years through community education) as a social leverage, helping these women to create their own businesses. The research tries to explore how the organizational social capital functions and how it is transferred to single mothers for running their businesses? What kinds of social leverage these women use to improve their social mobility? Also, in facing the conflict of work and family, what kinds of social support network available for these single mothers? These issues are crucial for developing social work knowledge and service strategies. It is expected that the outcome of this research can make this contribution.
