FMSC330 Exam Two Single Parent Families

1970- 2011

As of 2011; 10 million single mothers in US living with children In 1970; 3.4 million

Whitehead, 1993 Children in single-parent families experiencing poverty

22% will experience poverty for seven years or more of childhood, compared to 2% in two-parent families

Resiliency; Resources

Single parents do not monitor children as well as married or cohabiting parents More likely to live in poverty; stronger for never-married mothers

Children of single parents; good prospects for adulthood

Three of four characteristics have good prospects for adulthood -Married mother -Mother 26 or older at time of birth -Mother who completed college -Family income more than four times the poverty rate

Children of single parents; poor prospects for adulthood

Three of four characteristics have poor prospects for adulthood -Unmarried mother -Teen mother -Mother without high school degree -Family income below poverty line

Patterns of Single Father Families

2013: 24% income below poverty line 8% of households with children headed by single father; 24% single parent homes headed by father 41% of single fathers cohabitate; only 16% of single mothers—may help with childcare

Poverty Rates of Single Mothers

2014: 40% of female headed homes live in poverty 57% of children classified as poor live in female-headed households 14% of single women with children working full-time in poverty

Whitehead, 1993 Likelihood for children to be poor in single-parent families

Children in single-parent families 6x more likely to be poor, also likely to stay poor longer

Unique Characteristics of Single Mother Families

Children more active in household responsibilities More joint-problem solving, negotiation of rules Can lead to increased responsibility and maturity for children- can also lead to blurred boundaries and hierarchy (espec. for girls)

Whitehead, 1993 Risks of children in single-parent families

Children two-to-three times more likely to have emotional and behavioral problems Children more likely to drop out of school, become pregnant as teenagers, abuse drugs, and get in legal trouble Much higher risk for physical or sexual abuse

Failure of Whitehead, 1993

Fails to recognize difference in single-parent family population Formed as a result of divorce Formed from non-marital births Might have other resources Life is not the same for all single parent families

Single Father Families Trajectory

Growing More than tripled between 1980 and 2011

First half of 20th century

Most children lived in two-parent families, majority of children do today Single parent population has more than tripled since then

Unique Characteristics of Single Father Families

Research indicates higher levels of emotional expressiveness with children than married fathers Children experience lower levels of health care appointments and extracurricular activities than single mother and two-parent families Single fathers; lower levels of supervision