China has nearly 30 million single mothers. Now, many are finding support by moving in together, splitting bills, sharing child care, and building households outside the traditional family model.Fresh from a divorce, balancing a demanding finance job, and caring for her 9-year-old daughter, 44-year-old Sun had run out of ways to stretch the hours in her day.
So last fall, she started over in a shared apartment in Beijing — with two other women just like her.
None of them are related. They span three generations and approach parenting in their own ways. But in one apartment, the mothers divide the school runs, swap household duties, and carry the weight of everyday life together.
