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Growing up in a single parent household
Growing up in a single parent household
The effects of discrimination and those who inflict discrimination
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Does Living In A Single Parent Home Influence Your Level of Success? Jessica Turner April 24, 2014 Senior Thesis Period: 4 “Jessica, you will never get into Princeton University!” Said my uncle, who laughed as I exited his car. I never thought I would hear those words come from my “favorite” uncle. When he told me this, I had many emotions going through my head. At that moment I felt angry with him and myself because at that moment he made me feel like I was nothing. Where was the faith in me and my ability? This man is my uncle, one who is supposed to be my support system. My uncle works for the government as a journalist. He is an extremely intelligent man, but is known for being arrogant and selfish. He tends, to make negative comments regarding my father’s level of education and my mother’s job status. Because he is gainfully employed and has more education than my mother does not make him “better.” My father does not live in the same household. This gives my uncle the opportunity state that the absence of my father is the reason why we struggle. He also believes that my brother and I will follow in his footsteps: We will not be successful. This story is important because black women are currently being stereotyped as single parents with children, who do not amount to anything. I chose this story because it demonstrates how family can negatively influence people more than strangers. Being part of this experience challenged me to be a better person. It made me rethink who I am, while simultaneously working to prove my uncle wrong. Completing this project will allow me to hear individual’s stories regarding growing up in single parent households and overcoming struggles despite the odds. The purpose of this st... ... middle of paper ... ...ever experience poverty earn high school diplomas and 70% born in poverty and 63% living in poverty graduate from high school. This piece of evidence is important because it proves that not all kids living in single parent homes are living on the streets or doing illegal activity. From reading The Origins of African- American Family Structure by Steven Ruggles elaborated on the reasoning behind single parent homes. His claim is that single parent homes refer back to the slavery era. He says that slavery is what created disorganization and instability in black families. What’s shocking is that black marriages started failing more than whites, which increased single parent homes. This can’t be solved unless both men and women fight to stay together. Also the reasoning behind marriages might be very personal and financial instead of lack of love and communication.
For this assignment I interviewed my sister, who is a 48 year-old female that has only 1 child. My sister is a prior member of the armed services. She became a single parent at the age of 27, after her military career. As, she adjusted to the role of motherhood she had to endured several traumatic situations within her personal and professional life but most of all within her parental life. In being a single mother, she stated that she had a lot of regrets and alterations that she wished were in place prior to her becoming a parent. The most prevalent of which is that of having a spouse that supports and encourages her. Since, she was without the support of the father of her child, she was forced to make ends meet on her own. This struggle
glimpse into some of the internal problems that many black families deal with today. It allows
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 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 my father. I witnessed firsthand th...
In today’s society, the amounts of single-parent households are increasing and this is another reason for the existence of childhood poverty. Statistics show that children living in single-parent homes are five times more likely to be poor. More people are getting divorced and are also having children outside of wedlock. It has also been said that women rather than men head about 90% of single-parent families. One of the
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...
Family is what you make it. The word family has many meanings. Everyone defines what being part of a family means, and what a family is in a different way. Families differ economically, socially, culturally, and so on. The nonfiction novel, In Cold Blood, by Truman Capote, tells the story of the brutal murder of the Clutter family in Holcomb, Kansas committed by Dick Hickock and Perry Smith. In the novel the reader is able to view the role of family and how it shapes individuals. Nancy Clutter, Dick Hickock, and Perry Smith all grew up in different family settings. These family settings helped transform them into unique individuals. All three of these characters can relate to this quote, “Any two people sharing a common blood line can call themselves relatives, but only when our lives are turned upside down can we truly see if we are a part of a family.” Throughout the novel, Nancy, Dick and Perry each were faced with life troubles that affect their families differently.
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.
This research paper will explore primarily the impact of African American single-parent households on the children that live in these environments. This is a very important issue and more awareness is needed. Research has provided evidence that single-parent households are one of many risk factors that can negatively affect a child’s educational outcome, emotional health and social behavior. Although not all single-parent family households have disadvantages, the focus of his study is to shed more light on the issues and offer solutions. For example, more policies are needed to reinforce fathers to pay child support. This alone will provide mothers with more money to help them better raise their children.
My motivation to research, discover, and stimulate social change is rooted in my childhood experiences. As a young child I grew up in a household filled with domestic violence, which ultimately ended with the suicide of my father. I subsequently came to know a variation of the typical American nuclear family: a single parent household. As I began to study family dynamics further, I was able to see my life experiences in a broader context. In hindsight, I now realize the impact and weight my own mother had on my personal development. It was through her strength, determination, and optimism that I was able to find the spark within myself to set goals and dreams for my future. She encouraged me never to accept anything at face value, including the way our society attempts to define my womanhood. As a result of this, I now question American culture’s classification of a ‘successful’ family and the factors that determine a ‘stable’ family.
Those living in poverty have a lack of funds to invest in education, thus their schools lack the material and staff to probably train their students for future success. This lack of education is the root cause of poverty, because those with no education can’t compete for higher paying jobs that require basic understanding in subjects like math, such as being an accountant or bank manager. Their lack of education has limited their job opportunities, therefore limiting them from improving their lifestyle. Furthermore, poverty travels from generation to generation like an endless cycle. Also Children living in poverty have a higher number of absenteeism or leave school all together because they are more likely to have to work or care for family members. In addition, Dropout rates of 16 to 24-years-old students who come from low income families are seven times higher than those from families with higher incomes. Also Less than 30% of students in the bottom quarter of incomes enroll in a 4-year school. Among those less than 50% graduate from college(Dosomething). The lack of education and training for well-paying jobs inhabits these people from ever escaping the cycle of poverty. However, the reason many of these people lack the required education is simply that they can’t afford to attend school or earn a degree. Therefore, this allows them to only have jobs that offer little benefit, and
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.
Sociological data clearly shows that the black family is slowly but surely deteriorating especially in terms of broken homes. From 1950 until now, the amount of black children living only with their mothers has almost tripled. This phenomena can be attributed to many factors. Absent fathers paired with the independency we see in black women are two main reasons that contribute to this issue. These two ideas date back to before the 20th century when slavery was in full effect. “Social theorists have argues that slavery resulted in disorganization...
when to do their homework or even in some cases when to go to bed.
Living in poverty exposes children to disadvantages that influence many aspects in their life that are linked to their ability to do well in school. In the United States of America there are an estimated 16.4 million children under the age of 18 living in poverty (U.S. Census Bureau, 2010). “The longer a child lives in poverty, the lower the educational attainment” (Kerbo, 2012). Children who are raised in low-income households are at risk of failing out before graduating high school (Black & Engle, 2008). U.S. children living in poverty face obstacles that interfere with their educational achievement. Recognizing the problems of living in poverty can help people reduce the consequences that prevent children from reaching their educational potential.