<entry id="2290843" stat="A" corpus="jmdict" type="jmdict">
<ent_corp type="jmdict">jmdict</ent_corp>
<ent_seq>2859995</ent_seq>
<k_ele>
<keb>女手一つで</keb>
</k_ele>
<k_ele>
<keb>女手ひとつで</keb>
</k_ele>
<r_ele>
<reb>おんなでひとつで</reb>
</r_ele>
<sense>
<pos>&exp;</pos>
<xref type="see" seq="2859996">男手一つで</xref>
<s_inf>usu. followed by 育てる</s_inf>
<gloss>single-handedly (usu. of a female raising children)</gloss>
<gloss>on one's own</gloss>
<gloss>as a single mother</gloss>
</sense>
<info>
<audit time="2024-01-24 20:11:21" stat="A" unap="true">
<upd_name>Brian Krznarich</upd_name>
<upd_email>...address hidden...</upd_email>
<upd_detl>Very good explanation here, including someone clearly confused by the current entry in jmdict for 男手:

It means "Major who raised Benio with his own (male) help", right?
https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/94992/what-does-%E7%94%B7%E6%89%8B%E4%B8%80%E3%81%A4%E3%81%A7%E8%82%B2%E3%81%A6%E3%82%8B-literally-mean
(long, thorough explanation at link, including a translation:)
The army major who raised 紅緒 as a single dad

The entry for 女手 provides no help on this point, and this seems to be the principal modern usage of this term(女手). I'd be perfectly happy to have the full entry:
女手ひとつで育てる
but we don't seem to usually do this. (lots of things can be stuck between で and some form of 育てる, but it almost always gets there in the end.)
There aren't many things that seem to follow this besides　頑張る and perhaps 苦労.

Does not have to be a literal mother, and doesn't have to be an adult.   In the context I encountered this, it was an older brother after their parents died. (Using 男手ひとつで). 

The only reason to say "on one's own" and not "on her own" is that it can be used in the first person.  "I raised my little brother on my own"(the precise example I encountered). The choice of 男手 and 女手 then depends on the gender of the speaker.</upd_detl>
<upd_refs>女手	38423	  75% of this word's usage is in this one structure. 
女手一つで	15288	  
女手ひとつで	13060	  
女手一つで育て	3044	  
女手ひとつで育て	2283	  
女手一つで育てて	1940	  
女手で	1123	  
女手一つで育ててくれ	987	  
女手ひとつで子供	949	  

Eijiro's entries for 女手 and 男手
https://eow.alc.co.jp/search?q=%e5%a5%b3%e6%89%8b
女手ひとつで頑張る
struggle with the burden of single parenthood
母親に女手一つで育てられる
be raised only by one's mother
男手ひとつで頑張る
struggle with the burden of single parenthood

Examples are trivial to find. Search "女手ひとつで" "mother"
Some here.
https://context.reverso.net/translation/japanese-english/%E5%A5%B3%E6%89%8B%E3%81%B2%E3%81%A8%E3%81%A4

https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/94992/what-does-%E7%94%B7%E6%89%8B%E4%B8%80%E3%81%A4%E3%81%A7%E8%82%B2%E3%81%A6%E3%82%8B-literally-mean</upd_refs>
</audit>
<audit time="2024-01-24 20:13:26" stat="A" unap="true">
<upd_name>Brian Krznarich</upd_name>
<upd_email>...address hidden...</upd_email>
<upd_detl>circular ref</upd_detl>
<upd_diff>@@ -14,0 +15 @@
+&lt;xref type="see" seq="2859996"&gt;男手一つで&lt;/xref&gt;</upd_diff>
</audit>
<audit time="2024-02-01 06:29:11" stat="A">
<upd_uid>jwb</upd_uid>
<upd_name>Jim Breen</upd_name>
<upd_email>...address hidden...</upd_email>
<upd_detl>OK. The *usage* is usually in the single mother context, but the meaning is a bit more focussed.</upd_detl>
<upd_diff>@@ -16,0 +17,2 @@
+&lt;gloss&gt;single-handedly (usu. of a female raising children)&lt;/gloss&gt;
+&lt;gloss&gt;on one's own&lt;/gloss&gt;
@@ -18,2 +19,0 @@
-&lt;gloss&gt;single-handedly&lt;/gloss&gt;
-&lt;gloss&gt;on one's own (usu. of a female raising children)&lt;/gloss&gt;</upd_diff>
</audit>
<audit time="2024-02-02 16:57:16" stat="A" unap="true">
<upd_name>Fryderyk Mazurek</upd_name>
<upd_email>...address hidden...</upd_email>
<upd_refs>Reading fixed</upd_refs>
<upd_diff>@@ -11 +11 @@
-&lt;reb&gt;おんなでひとつ&lt;/reb&gt;
+&lt;reb&gt;おんなでひとつで&lt;/reb&gt;</upd_diff>
</audit>
<audit time="2024-02-02 18:43:36" stat="A">
<upd_uid>stephen</upd_uid>
<upd_name>Stephen Kraus</upd_name>
<upd_email>...address hidden...</upd_email>
<upd_detl>Thanks</upd_detl>
</audit>
</info>
</entry>