Single Swedish Mothers

Plans that would allow single women in Sweden access to IVF treatment are expected to come into place in 2019.

As reported by The Local, IVF treatment is currently only available to women who are in long-term relationships or married couples. However, plans to allow single women the treatment look like being granted as early as 2017. With private IVF treatment costing upwards of SEK30,000, single women in Sweden have been known to travel abroad for fertility treatment, and it is hoped that the changes to the law will prevent this from happening in the future.

According to Statistics Sweden the number of divorces in the country reached an all-time high in 2014. Over 25,000 marriages ended in divorce by the end of 2014, providing an indicator that the shape of the family in Sweden is changing – as it is around the world. With so many marriages breaking up, it seems logical that treatments like IVF would be offered to single Swedes.

And it isn't just Sweden where divorces are becoming more commonplace than ever. We have seen Denmark reach a record number of divorces in 2014 – with 18 out of every 1,000 people getting divorced in the country. Danish law has changed to mean it is easier than ever for couples to get divorced with much of the process happening online.

2015 also saw a change in law in the UK that allows for the creation of three-person babies. Laws were approved that allowed people undergoing IVF treatment to combine the DNA of two parents with the DNA of the female donor. This is another stark reminder that the shape of the conventional family is a thing of the past.

The stigma of the single person is long gone. Brands and consumers should be looking to provide single consumers with products and services that fulfil their needs – they are their own demographic in their own right. With the conventional family unit changing so drastically, brands should be adapting their offerings accordingly. Sweden's move to allow single women IVF shows the large shift in both the power of singletons and the shape of the family.