The article considers the essential basis of proactivity as a psychological state mediated by mental and socio-psychological factors. The presented aspects of the manifestation of activity in single mothers are characteristic behavioral attitudes determined by the formed individual system of values and needs. The purpose of the research was to study proactive behavior in women with different levels of education, with clarification of behavioral coping strategies, and their interdependence in the identified constructs of proactivity. To study the proactive behavior of single mothers, the method "Proactive Coping Behavior" (Proactive Coping Inventory) was used, developed in 1999 by the authors E.Greenglass, R.Schwarzer and S.Taubert, and adapted in 2009 by E.S. Starchenkova. The investigation involved 125 single mothers aged 19 to 48 years with different levels of qualifications. As a result, a group of single mothers with a high level of qualification is most inclined to analyze the situation, reflection, preventive planning and need emotional support. Mothers of the group with a low level of qualification are characterized by the need for instrumental and emotional support. Mothers with an average level of qualification consider it necessary to search for instrumental support.