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Disadvantages of single parenting
Effects of single parent families on children
Disadvantages of single parenting
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Kamla Raj (2009), vividly states that Single parent family is “A family comprising of a single mother or father having their own dependent children.” Some of the causes of single parent family are as follows: death of one parent, divorce, separation, teenage pregnancy, desertion and sometimes one’s choice. According to the ‘Marriage and Family Encyclopedia, a single parent is a parent, not living with a spouse or partner, who has most of the day-to-day responsibilities in raising the child or children. A single parent is usually considered the primary caregiver, meaning the parent the children have residency with the majority of the time. If the parents are separated or divorced, children live with their custodial parent and have visitation …show more content…
(2000) stated that single mothers have higher incidence of major depression.
MCLoyd (1994) in his study emphasized that financial (economic) strain led to depression Ann-Marie Ambert (2005) endorsed the merits of marriage, especially for the welfare of children, but also emphasized that a good and stable single parent is far better than a divorce-prone, conflicted two parent family whether married or co- habitation.
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.
Furthermore, Marcionis (1997) stated that in recent times, there is a proliferation of “alternative family forms such as one parent families, cohabitation, gay and lesbian couples and also
Since the dawn of civilised society, children have suffered from losing one or both of their parents. “Half of all American children will witness the breakup of a parent’s marriage” (Bilotta, 1). Children being brought out in single house household are more likely to become depressed and have problems with their peers. In addition “Family Timeline” by ProQuest, in 1920 points out that “The divorce rate is approximately eight per 1,000 marriages” and today that rate has skyrocketed to 50% (Proquest,1). Proquest clearly rationalizes why the divorce rate has risen. “As more women become educated and join the workforce divorce becomes economically possible for them” (Proquest, 2). Marriages have often been a necessity for
Sometimes, when the reader reads a story or an essay, they think, “Wow that had a lot of meaning into it”. That was the same for me “In Defense of Single Motherhood”. This essay appeals to all modes of persuasion: Ethos, Logos, and Pathos. The author of the essay, Katie Roiphe, is credible person. She is a notable author of several books over the past two decades. She wrote this essay in 2012 which was published in the New York Times. Roiphe emphasizes logos throughout the essay the majority of the time through the use of studies and reports, mostly to persuade the reader to her side, but she also emphasizes ethos and pathos, just not as much as logos. The audience of the argument is most readers of the New York Times to emphasize her point on single motherhood. Roiphe claims single motherhood is not bad like everyone says it is.
Single parenting can be considered a controversial topic expressed in a myriad of movies, TV shows, books, and magazines. A controversy because it has become something that is commonly seen as a social norm. Yet, it is still taboo to the point that those involved are often negatively judged for it. Statistically 41% of births are to single women (“The Single Mom Mess”). This social swing has awakened several dormant authors and screenwriters to use it as the basis of innumerable amounts of work. For example, in 1988 renowned author, Barbara Kingsolver published
...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.
The American family structure has seen major changes in the ideals, values and ethics pertaining family life. The modern day family in an American societal setting does not only show a break from the ideal family values but also a significant level of democracy, individuality and independence depending from which perspective the situation is being analyzed. The modern day prevalence of single-parent headed families, the political role of women, the struggle on non-white societies in America against discrimination and racism, the feminist movements for the enforcement of friendlier policies and the definition of gender roles in the family paint a picture of the difference between the family life in America 50 years ago and the contemporary family values (Clavan, 1972). The increasing numbers of non-traditional families has been a major component on public discourse pertaining women who bear children out of wedlock. The issue however, has majorly been blamed on a number of sociological problems such as unemployment, high rates of juvenile crimes, poor health and a series of school drop-out (Lopata & Norr, 1980).
Single parenting is becoming more common than the traditional nuclear families. Nuclear families are the basic structure of how families are and it has been seen as how every family should be. However, this structure is becoming less ordinary as single parents start becoming the norm. Although this situation is rising, many do not realize it. Single parenting is quite common, but it still struggles with income, abuse, and damaged relationships.
“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, p. 50-56). “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” (Kirby, n.d., Single-parent Families in Poverty section, para.2).
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.
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.
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.
The Family structure has changed significantly in the last fifty years. With higher percentages of marriage ending in divorce, and higher rates of childbearing out of wedlock, single parent families are increasing rapidly. “Seventy percent of all the children will spend all or part of their lives in a single-parent household.” (Dowd) Studies have shown that the children of these families are affected dramatically, both negatively and positively. Women head the majority of single- parent families and as a result, children experience many social problems from growing up without a father. Some of these problems include lack of financial support, and various emotional problems by not having a father around, which may contribute to problems later in life. At the same time, children of single-parent homes become more independent because they learn to take care of themselves, and rely on others to do things for them.
A single parent household is a house with only one parent and one or multiple children. Single parent households are becoming very common in all racial and ethnic groups because it is no longer required for people to be married before they have children. Most households only have one parent because of divorce, never being married, separated, widowed, or because of business. The most common are, separation, divorce and just simply never being married. In these cases it is usually the mother who is the single parent. It is not too often that you see a father taking care of their child by themselves. This is usually because they do not know how, or they simply do not want to take care of their child. Statistics show that family structure has a big impact on certain characteristics of a child such as their attitude and level of respect. Children tend to be less respectful to people because they do not respect the parent who is not around. In many cases a child may become depressed living with only one parent causing them to get out of control and do things that they shouldn’t. Sometimes the child may feel like they are incomplete leaving them to do crazy things to find what they feel like they are missing. often times the child feels that they are the reason their parents are not together.
Single motherhood is an exhausting experience for women. Women raising children without the support of a spouse puts all the weight of everyday life on their shoulders. Moreover, single mothers raise their children and tend to forget about themselves. The strength of a single mother is the need of the day to day delivery of food on the table, and a roof from the elements of life protecting her offspring. Consequently, the definition of a single mother is a woman raising children, working a full-time job, and being the emotional strength that supports her family.
Which behalf is the best side, the single parent versus the traditional family? A traditional family is defined or described as two parents working together to solve anything that goes on in their house. The advantage of a traditional family is that they are going to have a more stable income that will buy them a reasonable house or an apartment. “The traditional families have two parents, the mom and the dad, jointly raising kids with help and advice from each other” (Magnier). An accustomed family also expresses their feelings towards one another and has respect among others in their home. A dysfunctional family is usually described as conflicted adults living on their own. Although a dysfunctional family may sound inadequate, it is quite reputable. “ Single parenting is already becoming a rapidly growing trend in the society” (Magnier). Single parents are very common in the US. Statistics say that one out of every two children in the US will live in a single parent household at one point before they reach their adult age. “The situations of single parents vary greatly: it may be that you are divorced, widowed or never married” (all-about-motherhood.com/advantages). Being a single parent states that an individual is strong enough to carry the parts of two roles in a house. Single parents are a good influence on their children and any other individuals because they can take care of their financial problems, have greater control over their kids, and the children tend to have greater independence when living with a single parent.
In this day and time it is common for children to be raised in a single parent households