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The effects of single parent households essay
Negative effects of single parent households essay
Causes And Effects Of Single Parenthood
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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 …show more content…
However, as generations have moved into the 21th century there has been a major switch in the family unit. There is no considerable amount of family which can be defined as single parents home on the rise as the normal family or nuclear unit. “Whether a single-parent household is formed following divorce, separation, widowhood, or an out-of-wedlock birth, it is clear that the single-parent household has become a new family form in contemporary society”(Anderson,S,A,2010). Single parent’s household may not be the biological parent. Single parent’s household included mother, father, grandparents, foster or adopted parent, and a sibling. Each family unit is very unique and diverse which can amount to the vast differences between the families. However, there are many aspects that each single family household may have similarities. As a single parent can be more prone to stress and the children are often at a disadvantage when it comes to their mental and emotional health. Men and women who are a single parent family often struggle more than a two parents household because everything is rely on one parent. While single parents can different backgrounds which have lead to the single parent situations such as divorce, death, or other unique arrangements that can result in a change of family dynamics. This paper it will examine the similarities and the differences in families when single parents result from divorce, death and never married
Families have changed greatly over the past 60 years, and they continue to become more diverse.
In this book, the editor made analysis on large representative surveys on children’s family structure. She used these surveys to distinguish families that have single parents, parents who were never married, divorced or separated parents, and remarried parents. According to her study, children are less likely to finish high school or college and keep their job. Also, without fathers they will more likely become adolescent parents. Furthermore, fathers are less likely to share incomes with their children when they do not live with their children.
Traditional family in today’s society is rather a fantasy, a fairy tale without the happy ending. Everyone belongs to a family, but the ideology that the family is built around is the tell tale. Family structures have undeniably changed, moving away from the conventional family model. Nowadays more mothers work outside of the home, more fathers are asked to help with housework, and more women are choosing to have children solo. Today there are families that have a mom and a dad living in the same home, there are step-families, and families that have just a mother or just a father. Probably the most scrutinized could be families that consist of two moms or two dads. These are all examples of families and if all members are appropriately happy and healthy then these families are okay and should incontestably be accepted. So why is the fantasy of the traditional family model still so emphasized in our society? This expectation is degrading and misleading. Progressing with times one ought not be criticized or shunned for being true to their beliefs. It is those living falsely, living as society thinks they should that are the problem. Perhaps as a society, if there were more focus and concern for happiness and peace within ones family and fewer worries for the neighbor then there would be less dilemma.
Children and families have various issues that must be addressed when they are in facing difficulties. The family dynamic offers multiple perceptions and needs, these may require addressing matters individually as well as on a group level. There may be matters such as domestic violence or substance abuse which requires both individual and family counseling and resources. In times of crisis families need education and coping strategies in order to regain their lives back. The necessities of the family may entail emotional and medical support requirements depending on their situation. When there is a possible case involving violence the focus may turn to more than medical and emotional support and possible removal of the children from the home may be required. Single mothers’ needs may be comprised of employment, education, shelter, food, child care and assistance with medical and child support. In some cases counseling and a support resource may be all that is required. When a divorce occurs, the needs which were once met by a two parent family now rest on the shoulders of ...
Families are becoming more diverse and they come in all shapes and sizes. Some people consider families to be strictly biological, while others consider people they love to be their family. Although two-parent families, also known as a nuclear family are the majority, one-parent families are becoming more common in today’s society. A sole-parent is considered to be a parent without a partner or spouse who is the primary care giver of one or more children in a household (Ministry of Social Development, 2010). From the age of 14 onward I was raised by m...
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. Does a child need both parents? Does a young boy need a father figure around? Does the government provide help for single parents? What role do step-parents and step-siblings play? With much speculation, this topic has become a very intriguing argument. What people must understand is that properly raising a child does not rely on the structure of a family but should be more focused on the process
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.
Evidence is mounting surrounding the sociological shifts from traditional to modern family dynamics where there is a growth influencing contemporary families in current divorce rates, workforce participation by both parents, equal gender distribution of family obligations, declining birth rates, financial pressures as well as single parenting (Barnes & Rowe 2004). Research has identified many issues and raised apprehension surrounding the significance of family life, especially for children (Barnes & Rowe 2004). The shifts in contemporary family society, introduces negative repercussions for families and tests their ability as a unit to function effectively, and hinders their ability to maintain
Single Parent Families In Today’s Society As long remembered by society, youth who have been raised in single parent families are considered to be unconventional than those young people who are raised in two parent homes. To many, the idea of being raised by one parent instead of both a mother and father is unimaginable but, our society has grown, and with it, the idea of single parent families has increased as well. In today’s society, it is shown that children, whether they have been raised by one parent, are two parents, have become successful in their lives and are independently sufficient.
The family is the main agent of socialisation and an institution. (Giddens, 2013:339). As children, we rely on our family to fulfil basic needs. We all need guidance, and more importantly we also require nurturing to become healthy adults. The definition of family varies across cultures. However, the family is sensitive to change and, therefore, not static. The structure of the family has changed, and culture and society are now more accepting of the fact that people now choose to cohabit, rather than marry. (Haralambos & Holborn 2009:3). In 2013, there were nearly 1.9 million lone parent households with dependent children in the United Kingdom; a figure which has steadily increased over the years (Office of National Statistics 2013). The rise in lone parents has brought about greater acceptance of pregnancies that do not have to involve marriage although acceptance is not the concern. A study suggests that….
Traditionally families are composed of two parental figures of the opposite sex and their biological children. The numbers of traditional two parent families have dwindled over the decades. These types of families are rapidly declining in modern society. Single parents are raising a significantly larger proportion of children. In 2007 there were approximately 13.7 million single parents in the United States. Of these, approximately 84% of mothers had custody of the children and merely 16% of custodial parents were fathers. More than half of all children worldwide spend at least a period of their childhood in a single parent led environment (Hernandez 1988), and often custody of the child belongs to the mother (Bumpass & Raley 1995).
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.
One of the hardest issues to survive in, as a single parent, is an overwhelming emotion that you should complete the role of both mother and father. This feeling evolves and will be more intense if the other single parent is not portraying a role that is active with the children.
Single parent families put many mental effects on children that most often tend to be negative ones. Children that are raised in single-parent families are generally worse off than those children that are living in a home with two parents. The structure of a family contributes to measures of a child’s well-being. The number of children between the ages of 15-17 that are in good health is decreasing, while the number of kids from this age group that are getting pregnant is increasing. It is very common for children living in single parent houses to suffer problems of depression, emotional stress, as well as difficulties in school. These difficulties in schools can lead to students dropping out before they even graduate. Children may face these problems because of them having to quickly adjust from living in a family with two parents to modify in a short time to living in a family with one which might be very challenging for them to become accustom...