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Single Mothers

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Single Mothers
Single Mothers and Higher Education
Angela Vallance
Liberty University

Abstract
Every day in America another woman becomes a mother. In an average year 4,248,000 women in the United States become mothers (Ventura, 2012). “One out of every three American children is born to a single mother” (Single Mothers 2006). With divorces still at 856,000 a year (Amato, 2010) thousands of children are suffering from single parent families. Divorce is not only hard on children but also women. Most women do not have higher educations before the divorce and this causes financial hardships. Due to this hardship women return to college in hopes to seek a higher education and be able to provide better for their children. The review of literature not only demonstrated the amount of stress one goes through but also the financial burdens they are faced with during this time. Literature came to show although the difficulties during these times were rough, but the outcomes were beneficial.

Single Mothers and Higher Education
If being a single mother is not hard enough, being a single mother going towards a higher education is even harder. Every day, women in America go back to school in hopes to achieve a higher education. Single mothers face many challenges when it comes to pursuing a college degree. These single mothers are not only working they are also care for their children and trying to achieve a higher education. In reports from 2011 37% of mothers were single parents (Postal 2013). Not only are these mother struggling these children of single mothers are also struggling. They are born into poverty and have a higher chance of becoming teen parents along with higher rates of drop outs during high school years. Higher educations for these moms are one way they can help their kids beat the odds. When being born into a single mother household yours odds are stacked against you. Right out of the gate you are “more likely to live in poverty and have poor



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