Rise Of Single Mothers

In the life of a single parented child, that parent is their everything, their lifeline. Almost everything about life is learned from that one parent. The child will not get to learn from the other half because of the missing gender role. With the parent being either male or female, the child will not get to learn about the world from the missing other. Whether it's divorce, separation, death, or just abandonment, the child will not get to experience that aspect of life. These children are special as they look to the world with a male or female bias. This loss of a parental gender role in a child's developmental stage leads to a problematic childhood.
You hear it all the time, a child learning to grow up without a father. It has happened to
According to The Rise of Single Fathers, by Gretchen Livingston, an expert on family demographics at the PEW Research center, On average, fathers earn a higher income than single mothers and are far less likely to be living at or below the poverty line. Also, According to the U.S. Census Bureau, nearly 44% of all single-mother families are living in poverty. This can cause for a multitude of problems for a single mother, and the child, as the family might not have a significant source of income. Similarly, this can lead to a loss in educational resources as the child may not be able to afford schooling. Edward Kruk, who has a Ph.D. in Social Policy and Social Work, states on PsychologyToday.com that “71% of high school dropouts are fatherless; fatherless children have more trouble academically, scoring poorly on tests of reading, mathematics, and thinking skills.” This can be the cause of a variety of aspects but mainly the fact that another parent is not able to assist the child in academic work and/or provide transportation for the child to commute to and from school. This can lead to problems down the road as the child does not have the academic strengths that are necessary. Given these points, the child's overall development is full of
These children are at just as much of a risk. The U.S. Census states that one in six single parents is a man. These single-father families are on the rise as “A record 8% of households with minor children in the United States are headed by a single father, up from just over 1% in 1960”, as also stated by Gretchen Livingston. With this being a reality, the mental consequences on the child take place. Children of single fathers tend not to understand the opposite sex as well as children with two parents do. “As you can imagine, this could end up as quite the problem, resulting in higher levels of aggression and less ability to confidently enter social situations.” says Coconi in her ModernMom.com article. This misunderstanding of the opposite sex can lead to a struggling mental health as the child is unable to comprehend the social situation he/she is in. However, some may say these children can be saved. Coconi also states this when she says that “it’s important that a single father provides his son with loving physical contact, as well as the necessary ‘I love you’ and ‘I’m here for you.’ This affection, though more common from the mother, does not have a feminizing effect on the boy. It simply raises his self-esteem.” This is crucial for a child's development because the child will understand that he or she is loved. Many people have the preconceived