"Who walks the red carpet can no longer be swept under the carpet.“

1. My Story

16 years ago, I would never have dreamed of organizing a gala for single moms, some dads and their children. 16 years ago I was a happily divorced woman. I finally had my peace and my three little children too. Then came the letter. My ex-husband wrote, that he would no longer be able to pay alimony to our three children and the nightmare began.  

It took 1.5 years before I received adequate state support for my children instead of alimony. Austria is one of the richest countries in the world. But at that time 17% of children of single moms received neither alimony nor state support.   

In this time of poverty because of a bad law I could hardly sleep and I cried, when my children didn`t see. I was angry, I was desperate, I felt like an old woman and I was so dizzy that I couldn`t move my head left or right. Which was impractical with three kids and my job as a teacher. 

My children understood the situation. They understood why I always said: „No, no, no…we can not effort this, we can not effort that.“ So they even did not realy dare to ask me to buy exercise books or new pens  for school. Going to swim or buying an ice cream was luxury. And I knew: “If I don't fight back, I'll get sick.” 

2. Politik

I became a political activist. I founded an association, collected signatures and celebrities for my petition to modernize the maintenance law. For one year I stood every Wednesday for one hour in front of the Austrian parliament with my shield in my hands. So the media began to take notice. They wrote about me and invited me to talkshows. So I slowly made the issue  become a topic. The journalist Nadja Sarwat wrote: “Maria Stern is a suffragette of single moms.” 

I spoke to politicians of all parties (except the far-right-ones) and they all said: “Oh, how bad! We didn't know that! We will change that law!” But they didn´t. So I went into politics myself. I made the issues of single moms and child poverty a political topic during the naional election 2017 and one year later I the became chairwoman of a parliamentary party „JETZT“.

As a top politician I was interviewd a lot and I turned EVERY subject like economics, traffic, housing, education, health, security or environment into an issue of single moms. That means one simple thing: we need more single moms in politics.  

Because one who does not face the struggles we do, can simply imagine them. Ist like living on a different planet. So no one will do political work for us. Of course it costs energy we dont have. Of course it costs  time we dont have.  But you know what? Because of my political work my suffering turned into sense. That gave me power, gave me respect and one sunny day it gave me money.

I faced both: being a working poor single mom AND being a top politician. And I tell you today to make this very clear: as a single mom I worked more than a top politician and I had more responsability . 

That makes the next thing clear: we need to change our look at single moms. We need to change their image. Then good laws will follow. Single moms  are the benchmark of women's policy. Only when single moms are doing well women's policy is a success. Single moms are the benchmark. 

3. Lady Liberty

Yesterday I saw the Statue of Liberty for the first time, although I love her for a very lomg time. She is a woman. For me, she is a single mom. She carries the torch of freedom and brings light in old habits, thought patterns and toxic laws. In her other hand, she holds words. She knows what she is doing.  

Single moms want their freedom. That means time and money. So they need good laws.  

4. „Bastard“

I did not understand why so many single moms suffer from poverty and isolation and no one really cares. I was sure that this must have historical reasons, so I started to do research. Because the history of single moms is non written yet. Although we have always been there. „Falling moms“ and their „bastards“ existed at any time and in every country.  

I wrote the text „Bastard“ with storys from Greek mythology to Christianity and fairy tales. From middle Age until now.  

Then I looked around to see what the situation is in the present time: in Austria, USA, Turkey, Iran, Brazil, Ukrain, China or Afrika. I published the text as an audiobook at spotify and Apple Podcast.  You can take the text for free. It`s over there. You can write it further or bring it on stage. That would be wonderful.

We need to know our history in order to take off our heavy backpack we carry without guilt.  

5. Potenzial

For over 2,000 years, single moms and their children have been marginalized, exploited and discriminated against. This must stop. We need their potential. In a world that is falling appart, we need our full potential. 

If Shakespeare had been a single mom, would he have written a single play? If Albert Einstein had been a single mom, would we know his name today? If Mozart had been a single mom, who would have written The Magic Flute? If Donald Trump was a single mom, would he act like he does?   

It is simply stupid to do without the potential of single mothers. They are masters of resilience, they are THE top performers in all nations. Focused, efficient, flexible, responsible, emphatic and solution-oriented. I was once asked by our party founder why I was so focused, efficient, flexible, responsible, emphatic and solution-oriented in my political work. Why I didn't get involved in hours of fruitless debates and internal power struggles. My answer was: Well, I am a single mom.  

6. Thanks Day

After my time in politics, I founded the organization THANKS DAY- World Day for Single Parent Families & Friends. I wanted attention and acknowledgement and appreciation for single moms and their children.

So I organized THANKS Summits, the first online conferences for singlemom- organizations in history. Through the summits I got connected with about 30 Single Mom Organizations worldwilde and I definitly want to connect them all. To learn from each other, and to strenghen each other. 

I organized the first THANKS Gala last may in Vienna, where we rolled out the red carpet for single moms. I am sure: „Who walks he red carpet can not longer be swept under the carpet.“ The response was overwhelming. Brands like L'Oréal or Lindt Chocolate were immediately on board. That gave me hope.   

7. Call to Action

Trump confuses the world right now. The singer-songwriter Joan Baez once said: „Action is the medicine for despair.“ So let’s not lose our nerves and use the challenges as an opportunity to propose  brandnew visions. My vision since Covid is to build the first global network for single moms and their organizations. Therefore we need all of you and money. There at the table we have lists. If you want to join, you can share your adress to join the movement.

This month we all wrote the first manifesto for single moms in history. Now its up to the United Nation to implement it. We can help. I‘m so ready. Thank you.