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