Within a modest neighbourhood, some mothers develop strategies to take on their roles in a context of precariousness. Unemployment and instability of couples lead them to declare themselves as living alone with their children in order to perceive the related social security benefits. They give their family name to their children, provide them with a roof and receive regular financial allowances. In this context, what is the husband’s status for these women who take on all parental functions ? The observation of the course of a typical day highlights their inscription in the social networks, their capacity to assume their duty as mothers but also the contradictions with which they have to struggle.