Price rise hurts widow-led families

Households headed by widows have an average monthly income of about ¥120,000, while their spending tops ¥200,000, according to a survey released Thursday by a Japanese charity.

Even if financial help from relatives and grants are included, such families' monthly income is limited to ¥165,000, meaning they are chronically in debt, forcing many mothers to give up on providing their children with higher education, said Ashinaga, a group that offers grants and other kinds of support to orphans.

Soaring prices of oil, food and other items are making the situation worse for poor households, the survey found.

The poll shows that 56 percent of female heads of households are employed part time or have temporary jobs. About 20 percent have more than one job and 30 percent said they are ill or frequently get ill.

The survey covered 1,064 families headed by a widow with 10th-graders receiving grants and ninth-graders waiting to get such assistance.