The Silent Price of Divorce for Many Moroccan Mothers

In Morocco, divorce does not merely end a conjugal life. For many women, it also opens a period of great financial vulnerability, especially when they find themselves alone with dependent children. According to the first results of the 2025 National Family Survey, eight out of ten single-parent divorced women report receiving neither child support nor any other form of material assistance from their ex-spouse.

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The figure is even more striking in rural areas. In the countryside, 89.3% of divorced women concerned receive no support from their ex-husband, compared to 78% in urban areas. At the national level, only 14% receive child support, while 3.9% receive both support and another form of material assistance.

This lack of aid directly impacts children. The report emphasizes that assistance received, when it exists, first serves to cover the most essential needs: education leads at 35.4%, followed by food at 26.2%, then housing at 18.7% and clothing at 13.3%. Healthcare expenses represent only 6.4% of declared uses.

The HCP also notes that child support is very often deemed insufficient. More than two-thirds of divorced women believe that the support intended for them does not cover their needs, and 83.5% consider that child support allowances are insufficient. Among women living in single-parent households, this sense of insufficiency reaches 94.4%.

Faced with this lack of financial support, the extended family plays a social buffer role. After divorce, a majority of divorced women cohabit with their relatives, while residential independence remains limited. The report notes that 73.9% of divorced women live with close relatives, a sign that family solidarity often continues to replace formal support mechanisms.

This situation is compounded by another reality: child custody falls predominantly to women. After a divorce, nearly six out of ten women care exclusively for their children, and nearly one-third are helped by their family. Among divorced men, custody concerns far fewer cases.

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Behind the figures, the report thus paints a portrait of women who must often assume alone the financial, educational and daily burden of raising children. A reality that confirms that, despite the evolution of the Moroccan family, conjugal breakdown remains far heavier to bear for single mothers.