...Reasons Single Mothers Live in Poverty Tonya Norwood COM/150 February 16, 2014 Shyree Latham Reasons Single Mothers Live in Poverty According to Jennifer Wolf (2014), custodial single mothers are twice as likely to live in poverty as the general population. In 2009, 14 percent of the United States general population lived in poverty. 30 percent of custodial single mothers and their children lived in poverty. Moreover, thirteen million kids live in poverty in the U.S. The children living in poverty are affected in many different ways psychologically, socially, and physically. The federal poverty guideline for a family of four is $23,050.00 and that guideline compares to a median U.S. household income of $50,054.00 (Breslow, 2012). Many of these single mothers living in low income have low education. Nationally, over 80 percent of families headed by a parent without a high school diploma lives in poverty, compared to 54 percent of families headed by a parent a high school diploma, and only 22 percent of families headed by a parent with at least some college education. Single mothers live in poverty because they lack higher education and are products of poverty themselves. Lack of Education Thirty years ago less than twenty percent of birth occurred to single women. Today that number has doubled. At one time race was a huge factor, however. Today, education is a key factor. In 1990, ten percent of birth occurred to white single mothers with some...
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...Low Income Living Arrangements and Child Development Alzier Johnson-Gomez Housatonic Community College May 12, 2014 Abstract This study was conducted by researchers at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and the University of Chicago by E. Michael Foster and Ariel Kalil; it was published in the November/December 2007 issue of the journal Child Development. It used longitudinal data from approximately 2,000 low-income families, in order to compare the development of children living only with their mothers with children in other arrangements (those living with their biological fathers, in blended families, and in multigenerational households) to determine the effect of living arrangements on the children’s cognitive achievement and emotional adjustment. Instead of comparing children in different family arrangements at one point in time, the researchers addressed how children and their families change over time. Allowing them to consider whether and how a child’s emotional and intellectual development changes after there has been a change in family structure. The study found that in general, children’s performance on developmental assessments changed very little after their mothers married. The absence of a relationship between family structure and children’s outcomes suggests that there is as much diversity within families of a given type as there is across families of different types. This distinction implies that policies like income support that seek to improve...
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...One of the most striking changes in family structure over the last twenty years has been the increase in single-parent families. In 1970, the number of single-parent families with children under the age of 18 was 3.8 million. By 1990, the number had more than doubled to 9.7 million. For the first time in history, children are more likely to reside in a single-parent family for reasons other than the death of a parent. One in four children are born to an unmarried mother, many of whom are teenagers. Another 40 percent of children under 18 will experience parental breakup. Ninety percent of single-parent families are headed by females. Not surprisingly, single mothers with dependent children have the highest rate of poverty across all demographic groups (Olson & Banyard, 1993). Approximately 60 percent of U.S. children living in mother-only families are impoverished, compared with only 11 percent of two-parent families. The rate of poverty is even higher in African-American single-parent families, in which two out of every three children are poor. Effects on Children Past research has indicated that children from single-parent families are more likely to experience less healthy lives, on the average, than children from intact families. For instance, children growing up with only one parent are more likely to drop out of school, bear children out of wedlock, and have trouble keeping jobs as young adults. Other consequences include risks to psychological development, social...
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...Recent developments insinuate there is a relationship between single mothers and poverty in the US. Over 30% of the households headed by single mothers live below the poverty line. Only 6% of married couples form poor families; however, poverty affects 45% of children living without a father (Badger, 2014). Research also reveals there may be a relation between income levels in the metropolitan areas and a large scale of single mothers in the region. This suggests there are various reasons as to what may be affecting the state of single mothers in the US. In addition, it is crucial to examine all possible elements of the issue to deduce the probable concerns that may facilitate and/or promote the problem (Badger, 2014). The recession of 2007...
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...from the authors. We thank participants in seminars at the University of Maryland, the University of Michigan, Princeton University, the National Bureau of Economic Research in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and the 1993 meetings of the Population Association of America for their comments. Abstract The authors describe developmental deficits in early childhood associated with long-term poverty in the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY). They compare estimates of the effects of long-term poverty (based on a thirteen-year average of income) to estimates of the effects of poverty based on a single year of income (at the time of developmental assessment). They find substantial developmental deficits among children who, on average, are poor over a number of years relative to those who are not. These deficits are approximately twice as large according to the longterm income measure as compared to those based on the single-year measure, and are not explained by differences in maternal education, family structure, maternal behaviors during pregnancy, infant health, nutritional status, or age of...
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...Single parenting is becoming a big issue in the African American families today. The problem that arises from this is, there is a big concern that many children are being conceived out of wedlock. Marriage is not an option anymore because, the family structure is not a factor in society today. Family life is much different today than what it used to be. Several years ago, mothers would stay at home with their children while the father went to work to support his family, but it is nothing like that in today’s American households. Today it is common for children to be raised by just one parent, and those children are often disadvantage in several ways. The most consistent finding from studies of family structure shows that single parents controls...
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...Single Motherhood: Can You Really Have it All? In the United States, mothers have been raising children alone either due to the loss of their spouse, pregnancies out of wedlock, or divorce; however, has anyone truly recognized the effects that the lack of even one parental figure has on a child? There are three major perspectives on the debate about the effects of single motherhood on childhood development: single motherhood can be beneficial to childhood development, single motherhood can have a negative effect on the child, and there can be both positive and negative effects on the child. A widely known perspective from the single motherhood debate would be that being raised in a home without a paternal role may be beneficial to a child’s...
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...Socioeconomic Status and Food-Insecurity in Single-Mother-Families Rana Hassan & Douaa Mostafa Shopping List Project, Highway to Health 2000A Tuesday, November 18th , 2014 Introduction: In Canada, women’s health is affected by several social, economic and physical determinants. Single mothers are women, who are single, divorced, widowed or separated and care for one or more child with no assistance from a spouse. Single-mother families constitute 13% of Canadian families and they are more likely to experience a lower quality of life compared to families with two parents [3]. Also, poverty rates among families led by single mothers remain unacceptably high compared to the other demographic groups [3]. In 1999, poverty rate in single mothers was 51.8%, which is five-fold greater than the poverty rate among two-parent families (10.4%) [2]. Despite Canada’s efforts to reduce poverty among single-mother-families, the percentage of poor children living with their mothers continued to grow substantially over the last two decades [3]. Many studies conducted in Canada and the United States demonstrate that single mothers are significantly more likely to be young (less than 25 years of age), generally unhealthy, on welfare and poorly educated [9]. Also, single mothers tend to have higher rates of unemployment due to their deteriorating health states and their lower educational backgrounds [9]. The financial situation of a single-mother-family is worsened by additional children demands...
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...rich country; however, Canada has plenty of families struggling to make ends meet. It can be seen in “The Health of Canada’s Children” by Dennis Raphael, (2010) many social determinants influence health. One of the major determinants of health is living circumstances. The many different qualities of living within Canada have resulted in the health inequalities among children. This article in particular gives the reader the information needed to understand how living circumstances come about as well as how they affect health. Infant mortality rate or the number of newborns who die within their first year of life is considered to be one of the best ways to judge how healthy a population is. Low birth weight is also very important because it is affiliated with a wide range of health problems throughout a person’s lifespan. While there are many circumstances that play a role in infant mortality and low birth weight, a major component is living conditions the expected mothers are exposed to. This can be linked to the financial status of the parents. In Canada, the infant mortality rate is 60% higher and the low birth rate is 43% higher in the poorest income quintile than the richest quintile (Raphael, 2010). The effects of income on health are best portrayed by the living conditions to which children are exposed to. Income not only has a direct relationship with children’s health but various developmental outcomes as well. Income is a great indicator for the quality of nutrition...
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...financially, medically, etc., than children of single parents, children of married parents fare better than children of unmarried parents living together. The children of happy marriages are much healthier in the term of mental than the children of divorced parents or the children of single parents who were never married. In an article from Rhona Mahony, she writes that: “Researchers interview 60 recently divorced couples who are experiencing such trouble with their separation that they have sought counselling from a professional psychologist. One -third of the parents have generally adequate mental health. An additional 15 percent of the men and 20 percent of the women have severe mental illness, such as paranoid thinking or manic-depressive disorder.” (www.stanford.edu ) She also argued that: “The researchers discover that after the divorce, many of the children in those families have trouble in school and struggle with intense feelings of anger and sorrow.” (www.stanford.edu) It can be seen from the research that not only parents have mental illness but also children. In addition, Mohony refers to Second Chances (Wallerstein), which reports on children from divorced families. The appendix describes the unusual prevalence and severity of mental illness in her sample, which also supports my point. Also, from an article: The Effects of Divorce on Children, it is argued that: ...
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...Effects of Single Parent Homes on Children Abstract Throughout the world, there are numerous children being raised in single parent homes. This paper is a summary of the increase of children raised by single parents and the effects it has on them. Single parent homes will consist of households with at least one child under the age of 18 and only one parent as a result of divorce, death, or parents having never been married. The effects on cognitive, social, and emotional development of these children will be compared to that of children raised in two-parent homes. Effects of Single Parent Homes on Children The American family dynamic has seen a drastic shift in the past few decades. The nuclear family structure, consisting of a father, mother, and children, has been rapidly decreasing as more and more children are being raised in single-parent homes. Divorce, parental death, or couples having never been married are some common circumstances leading to single-parenthood. Being a single-parent and sole provider for children can be a difficult and overwhelming task. Having to single handedly juggle all the responsibilities of career, maintaining a household, and raising children is hard on not only the parent but it takes a toll on the children, as well. When compared to their married-couple counterparts, the effects on cognitive, social and emotional development of children raised in single parent homes is made apparent. They are placed at a disadvantage and their...
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... Although I know our society has issues, I just didn’t think of them in this way since starting class and doing the research we’ve done, have taught me so much. Many of society issues are social inequality, poverty, urbanization, discrimination against race, and culture. When learning about these issues, I’ve decided to do my paper on Poverty and Children in the United States. Poverty within the United States has become a major issue that affects our society and at hand families with children are coming face to face with this issue every day of their life. Poverty has become a major issue in our society today due to the result of our economy and the decision that one makes in life. And sad to say when the economy is always on the defense at failing, the children of our society have to pay a high price. There’s many reason and factors that can be related to one’s poverty. Some factors that can take place to which can place a child at poverty could be, single parent, unemployment, homelessness, abuse, or mother having more kids she can take care of. Over time history shows that poverty in the United States has raised a great deal. Many of us can’t even imagine how it feel to live in poverty, even if it’s looking us right in our eyes, we still try not to picture ourselves in that place. Poverty means can range from so much, and not just from not having enough money. Poverty truly mean not having enough of everything you need in order to take care of your household, money, and food...
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...inflation and the cost of living which includes several reductions made by Congress. As of 2009, the federal minimum wage became $7.25, although labor activists continue to debate and ask Congress to raise...
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...Challenges Single Moms Face Liberty University Abstract The purpose of this paper is to inform our society of the significant challenges single mom face. Raising children in this era is a very difficult task for couples and it brings greater challenges when is done by a single parent. This paper explores the emotional, psychological and financial aspect of raising children as a single mom as well as the main reasons why. It will review the causes and consequences in which it affects children, parents and entire families. There is data that has been collected where it indicates the reasons why there has been an increase and the impact that it has on children and adolescents. There are ways single moms overcome challenges. II. Introduction to Challenges Single Mom Face According to DeBell( 2008), about half of American children will spend part of their childhood in a single- parent family. DeBell stated that the absence of a father in a child’s home, the most consequential trend of our time, leads to social disaster(Pg. 427). Goldenberg (2008), states that a dysfunctional family, by definition, has failed to fulfill its purpose of nurturing the growth of its members. Single-parent families are more common in today’s society and are...
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...medical care, and $83 billion on other expenses. Many others feel that welfare distributes wealth to those who don’t earn it. To them, welfare encourages illegitimate births, the breakup of families, and discourages recipients from bettering themselves (Mankiw, p.429). Welfare provides the means for a lazy society that is dependent on hard working citizens for their support. Welfare provides the basic needs and allows for a better quality of live that protects the children from hunger and homelessness. The parents of these children often qualify because their income is at or below poverty level and they have met their state’s requirements to receive any benefits. But instead of the system being a temporary crutch, the system allows recipients to grow dependent on welfare and increases their incentive to continue participating in the program. Many recipients remain on benefits much longer than needed and continually engage in practices that keep them eligible. These, in turn, beget a cycle that children see their parents engaging in and therefore accept that behavior as the norm. With members in each generation participating in welfare programs, when does the cycle end? The Effects of Welfare on the Family The faces of welfare happen to be mostly single mothers. Children of single mothers often...
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