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Problems faced by single parents essay
Problems faced by single parents essay
The struggles of a single parent
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Children being born out of wedlock have been increasing each year, making parents struggle with being a single parent. There are many effects having children outside of marriage and becoming a single-parent family. These effects include the relationships between family members, dating, and financial struggles. “Increasing numbers of children are being bom to unmarried parents, with nonmarital childbearing in 2005 representing 36.8 percent of U.S. births, or more than 1.5 million births, an increase of 12 percent over 2002 (Hohmann-Marriott).” Being a single parent is very stressful and is a huge impact in a person’s life. In a child’s early age, the parents end up becoming unromantically involved (Tach, Ronald and Edin). “Over 40 percent of nonmarital relationships end by the child’s first birthday, and by the time the child is 5 years old, over 60 percent of parents are no longer romantically involved with each other (Tach, Ronald and Edin).” When parents spilt up they can have tension towards each other, making it difficult to work together in raising their child. The parents will end up having multiple partnerships. At times a father will become distant from their child, causing the mother to raise the child on her own. Becoming a single parent can effect the family. A single parent is the one supporting the family financially; this makes their life become very busy working long hours. This makes it difficult for the child and parent to spend time together, even though it is important for the parent and child to communicate with each other in a single-parent family. Not only does the single parent need to worry about paying the bills, but also has to deal with the household chores. Life can become very busy but also stressful. ... ... middle of paper ... ...tp://www.livestrong.com/article/83670-effects-single-parent-home-childs/>. Livingston, Gretchen. The Rise of Single Fathers. 2 July 2013. Web. 11 March 2014 . Mancini, Richard E. Everything You Need To Know About: Living With A Single Parent. New York: Rosen, 1992. Print. Pillai, Maya. “Single Parent Grants and Financial Aid.” Buzzel. 2000-2012. Web. 12 March 2013. Ramos, Mario. The Effects of Single Parent Dating on Children. 2014. Web. 13 March 2014 . "Single Parent Families". 2014. Web. 13 March 2014 . Tach, Laura, Mincy Ronald and Kathryn Edin. Parenting as a "Package Deal": Relationships, Fertility, and Nonresident Father. 2010. Web. 11 March 2014 .
In David Blankenhorn’s book written in 1995, he brings to light what he calls “America’s fundamental problem”: our culture of fatherlessness. Our modern day view of fathers is that they are unnecessary both in society and in the upbringing of a child. Blankenhorn argues the contrary: the only way to solve the multitude of social problems present in America is to address the common denominator, the decline of fathers and the shrinking importance of fatherhood. Blankenhorn’s book is split into three parts: Part I: Fatherlessness, Part II: The Cultural Script and Part III: Fatherhood. In Fatherlessness, he provides the history of fatherhood and includes statistics that help to illustrate the transition of the father from head of the household to being “almost entirely a Sunday institution” (pg. 15).
What is a single parent? Is it one who destroys their child’s life? Is it one who ultimately cannot raise a minor on their own? Or is it one who dedicates their lives to the well being of their kid? Imagine a parent, and for whatever reason they were left alone to raise a child. That parent you imagined has to work long hours just to put a meal on the table. That parent has to play the role of the mother and father. That parent has no financial support. Unfortunately, in our society, this image of a single parent is looked down upon. There are people that don’t realize how much a single parent goes through to give their child a better life.
...nder roles that lack this maternal instinct. Culturally fathers are perceived to be the “bread-winners” and be more involved in playing with children, whereas mothers are often involved in the daily care of children, such as feeding and bathing children. Although women are commonly the head of sole-parent families, the Ministry of Social Development state that there is a growing rate of sole-parent fathers accounting for 14% of all sole-parents with dependent children in 1986 rising to 17% in 2006 (2010). It is evident that single-mother parenting is different to single-father parenting; however the rising rate of single-fathers suggests that the stigma of gender roles in sole-parenting is on the rise towards equality.
Single families have become a common basic family shape within society meaning that there are more families with difficulties that have to be faced. These families can come from a family of divorced parents, the death of a parent, or parents who were never married. The difficulties confronted by single-parent families are fluctuated and numerous. Each family has their own unique challenges that they must endure and overcome during times of transition. They can incorporate changes in the level of family stress, adjustments in one's close to home and family personality, and significant modifications in how the family is overseen. Family administration can be extremely influenced by reduced or modified money related assets, changes in a parent's
The changing of American families has left many families broken and struggling. Pauline Irit Erera, an associate professor at the University of Washington School of Social Work, wrote the article “What is a Family?”. Erera has written extensively about family diversity, focusing on step-families, foster families, lesbian families, and noncustodial fathers. Rebecca M. Blank, a professor of economics at Northwestern University, where she has directed the Joint Center for Poverty Research, wrote the article “Absent Fathers: Why Don't We Ever Talk About the Unmarried Men?”. She served on the Council of Economic Advisors during the Clinton administration. Andrew J. Cherlin, a professor of sociology at Johns Hopkins University wrote the article “The Origins of the Ambivalent Acceptance of Divorce”. She is also the author of several other books on the changing profiles of American family life. These three texts each talk about the relationship between the parent and the child of a single-parent household. They each discuss divorce, money/income they receive, and the worries that come with raising a child in a single-parent household.
Archives are filled with articles focused on the outcomes of children raised in single parent homes versus children raised in the nuclear family setting. The subject is highlighted in mass volumes throughout various internet blog forums, newspaper articles, and popular magazines detailing the statistical data and reputed points of view on the outcomes of the subject. Countless bloggers provide substantial personal testimonies highlighting both ends in the debate, while giving readers an inside-look at this situation from all different walks of life. Developing this issue into a broader context, we as the readers have to consider the magnitude of the issue and ask ourselves, “In concern with the betterment of my family, which lifestyle could I possibly adopt to ensure that my children are adequately socialized and prepped for life outside the parental structure?” However, this is not a question that requires a prognosis from a prominent sociologist; in fact, children raised in single parent families are just as capable at success as children raised in the traditional family setting.
“Children of divorce are more than twice as likely to have serious social, emotional, or psychological problems as children of intact families…” (Parke, Mary, “Are Married Parents Really Better for Children?” p. 4). Not receiving the support and nurturing that is needed from both parents during adolescents can affect the future decisions made by children at a later stage in their lives. The guidance that is needed for children to make their life long decisions such as continuing education, certain situation thinking processes and decisions. Divorced parents will face loss of income compared to a two parent income, depression, and self-acceptance. Separating mothers and fathers in a childbearing family will lead the mother or father to having to split the roles or replace the role of the other parent in the household while the child might only be allowed to live with one parent for a certain amount of time. Single parent childbearing families face dependency among government support programs while the single parent may or may not be receiving child support that alone is not enough to remove the financial burden that single parents incur. Children often find this difficult having to move back and forth from two homes rather than having one home. Single parents who may later decide to marry often times face large scale problems as a result of becoming blended. This includes methods of parenting
Worobey, A. R. and J.L. (1988) Single Motherhood and Children’s Health, Journal of Health and Social Behavior
“ The Disadvantages of Single Parenting”. All- About- Motherhood. n.p. n.d. Web. 26 Nov. 2011.
2. Dowd, Nancy. In Defense Of Single Parent Families. New York: New York University, 1997
Growing up in a single parent household can have positive and negative impacts. Some effects of growing up in a single parent house are behavior issues, financial issues,
Single parenthood culture seems appealing to many married people. However, married individuals are forced to battle with elements like faithfulness and life-long commitment to one individual, which may be boring in some cases. However, single parents, especially single mothers encounter serious challenges related to parenting. Single parenting is a succession of constant mental torture because of ineptness, self-scrutiny, and remorse. At some point, single parents will often encounter serious psychological problems some graduating to stress and eventual depression. Again, there are far-reaching problems that force single mothers to a set of economic or social hardships. Social hardships are evident as address in this research.
Rowe, Daryl M. "Marriage And Fathering: Raising Our Children Within The Context Of Family And Community." Black Scholar 37.2 (2007): 18-22. Academic Search Elite. Web.
Antonia M. Essien and Agapetus A. Bassey (2012) emphasized that the value of the traditional nuclear family structure of men, women and children is fast eroding, resulting in alternative family forms such as a single motherhood among others. In their opinion, single motherhood is a universal phenomenon and the reasons for single motherhood vary greatly across the nation, ranging from personal choices to involuntary circumstances. They further advocated that there is need for the entire society to focus more on the attitudinal change and social orientation towards single mothers.
Single Parent Struggle For many years, children growing up in a single parent family have been viewed as different. Being raised by only one parent seems impossible to many yet over the decades it has become more prevalent. In today’s society many children have grown up to become emotionally stable and successful whether they had one or two parents to show them the rocky path that life bestows upon all human beings. The problem lies in the difference of children raised by single parents versus children raised by both a mother and a father.