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Single Parents Raising Children: An Exploratory Research

Paper
By
Natalya Hughes
Salt Lake Community College
English !!
Spring Semester "!#
Introduction
Two is not always better than one. The subject that single parents can raise a child
just as well as two parents has always been up for debate. Many years ago single parent
families were less common, but now days its a more typical family structure. For
example, according to the U.S. ensus !ureau, in the spring of "#$# there were
approximately $%.& million single parents in the United States who were responsible for
raising "" million children under "$ years of age, while the other parent li'ed somewhere
else. This number (represented) approximately "*+ of children under "$ in the U.S.
,U.S. -epartment of ommerce .conomics and Statistics /dministration0. !ut despite
the hype, this statistic has remained relati'ely constant since $112. /ccording to 3Single
4arents5 on About.Com 36istorically, mothers ha'e long borne 7 most of the
responsibility for raising their children. /nd that trend continues today.5 For example, in
"##1, the U.S. ensus !ureau determined that mothers represented 8"."+ of all custodial
parents, while fathers represented $&.8+.5 9 ha'e a mother who is a single parent and 9
thin: that 9 ha'e turned out o:ay. There are members in my family who disappro'e the
idea of only ha'ing one parent and thin: that 9 am some :ind of sin ,and it really bugs me
that they thin: that0. /t the church we used to go to, apparently people were excited when
they found out that my mom had a baby, but as soon as they reali;ed that she wasnt
married and the dad wasnt going to be part our family, they turned their bac:s (on us)
and pretended that we didnt exist. This is a significant topic because it implies that those
without two parents ha'e more financial and psychological issues. (9n reality, in) most
peoples li'es, they will spend some time as a single parent or be a child to a single
parent, so 9 guess this information affects almost e'eryone. .'en <prah =infrey
,pictured right0 was raised by only one parent and faced
hardships, but few would dispute that she has made a good life for
herself. /s 9 started searching for my topic 9 went in with the
mindset that single parents can raise children just as well as two
parents.
More at Risk? Oprah Winfrey
9 commenced my search using google and the first article that 9 chose was entitled
3Single 4arent >ids More at ?is:5 by !ootie osgro'e@Mather. 9t was published in
February, "##% on CBS News. The reason that 9 started with this article was because it
caught my eye with how much 9 disagreed with the title 3Single 4arent >ids More /t
?is:.5 The purpose of this news article was to inform and persuade readers of two main
argumentsA $0 that, yes, single parent families ha'e problems, but so do two parent
families, and "0 that the statistics of children being in one parent homes suggest that they
de'elop more psychiatric problems later in life.
This article claims that research has shown that ".B + girls and $.B+ boys in
single parent families ha'e se'ere problems li:e depression, paranoid schi;ophrenia and
ha'e more 3problems5 compared to the lower percent in two parent homes. 6owe'er, the
researchers only loo:ed at those who were hospitali;ed. The author refers to claims by
some experts that claim many more suffered emotional problems, but just not so se'ere.
They didnt dispute these findings because the study in'ol'ed o'er $ million children and
the results were similar to those in other countries. -espite these obser'ations, howe'er,
in reality any chance of a child ha'ing a 'ery serious psychiatric problem is small.
?esearchers still dont ha'e the exact answer about what it is in single parent homes that
puts children at a higher ris: for problems. Financial hardship is one explanation why
some children ha'e problems while others are fine. -ifferent countries gi'e single
mothers different amounts of financial help. .xperts say that the 3Cuality5 of parenting is
a big issue and that some families do better in ma:ing up for the resources they dont
ha'e, by building more connections. This article was written to inform the general public
about single parenting. 9 found that 9 agree with the authors main argument that just
because there is only parent doesnt necessarily mean that they the children are worse off.
9 thin: that we need to be careful with interpreting data because we dont ha'e inner
family details and there are many complex factors that we dont ha'e detailed
information on. !ecause of what 9 learned it made me start to wonder how researchers
come up with their results and statistics.
New Research
My first source, therefore led me to search for hard data on the effects of single
parent families on the children. -uring this search 9 found this journal entitled 3Single
Moms Sons an Succeed, Dew ?esearch Shows5 which was published in USA Today on
/ugust "8, "##8. This article was written by Sharon Eayson, a beha'ioral and
relationship reporter with a bachelor of journalism. She addresses the issue of single
parenting statistics and debates the claim that those children from two parent families do
better than those who are not by appealing to the new research. This new information
puts holes into that all@or@nothing approach. The author cites fatherhood expert, Michael
Famb, psychology professor at the uni'ersity in ambridge in .ngland who says that
3yes, there is ris:, but you cant assume that e'ery child raised by a single parent is going
to ha'e difficulties, and the majorities dont5 ,par. 20. Famb also states that 3researchers
used to be concerned about the ris:s to children and 3their concerns were dri'en by a lot
of cultural assumptions, which led them to belie'e that :ids are better off in a traditional
family. The e'idence, on the whole, hasnt supported that, but the beliefs ha'e persisted
in society5 ,par. B@*0. Famb also obser'es that 3those who grow up with single mothers
with adeCuate socioeconomic resources tend to do well5 ,par. 80. So it seems that how
many parents they were raised by isnt as important as the relationship with the parent
and the good flowing en'ironment.
Many of the results about children and negati'e outcomes seem to me to ha'e
more to do with economics that anything else and that was interesting to learn. <'erall 9
find myself strongly agreeing with this article and with the new research that says that
single parents can raise a child just as well as two parents. This article was written to
inform readers that we see single parent children thri'ing because their parents are so
de'oted to them in order to ma:e up for the absence of another parent. There is a lot of
information and data about children and the problems they ha'e at home, but what affects
does ha'ing a single parent ha'e on a child in schoolG
Single Parents and Schooling
The next bit of research 9 got is from a boo: edited by Maureen T. 6allinan,
-a'id M. >lein, and Eennifer Hlass. The information in chapter fi'e entitled 3Single
4arents and the Schools .ffects of Marital Status on 4arent Teacher 9nteractions5 was the
most interesting to me. 9n this chapter the authors refer to Eoyce F. .pstein who says that
there are lots of things written about single parents and their children and the statistics of
the problems that they ha'e but not 'ery much is said about how they fit into social
institutions. She states that single parent homes used to be atypical but now they are more
common, so since school and family are lin:ed, changes that happen in families ha'e to
be accommodated by changes in schools. She goes on to say that, 3Schools and families
are o'erlapping spheres of influence on student learning and de'elopment5 ,1$@1"0.
6owe'er there are some practices that families and schools perform separately while
some others can best be taught as partners. =hat was interesting to learn about from this
chapter is that it tal:s about two theoretical perspecti'es, the first puts emphasis on
separateness I and which assumes that families are most efficient when the heads of the
house ha'e independent goals, standards, and acti'ities. The second is an emphasis on
3o'erlapping spheres of influence5 ,1$@1"0. 9t asserts that en'ironments that educate and
sociali;e children are the spheres of influence that recogni;e the interloc:ing histories of
institutions that educate and sociali;e the children5 ,1$@1" 0.
This chapter didnt in'o:e a strong response but 9 do agree that school and family
go hand@in@hand during learning and de'elopment. 9 mostly chose this boo: from the title
of the chapter, but 9 feel that this boo: could ha'e gone into more detail about the actual
interactions of the students and teachers. 9t would ha'e been good for them to pro'ide
examples of children that ha'e a problem with authority figures, or who are more socially
aw:ward, rather than just information about school and family o'erlapping. This chapter
in the boo: 9 belie'e to be credible and 'aluable because it was written by an author with
a 4h. - in sociology. /s 9 was reading other articles to support this paper, 9 found
something interesting and that is most of the articles and research tal:s about the
parenting being the problem, but it ne'er tal:s about the different :inds of parenting
styles and if they are effecti'e or not. Dow 9 want to loo: up different parenting styles
and the control children ha'e.
Parenting Styles and Childrens Control
4arents are often blamed for the way their children turn out. ?esearch on the style
of parental interaction with the child is important in child de'elopment. 9n my research, 9
found a journal of articles, reports, and research entitled 3Single 4arents, .xtended
6ouseholds, and the ontrol of /dolescents.5 9t was written by Stanford M. -ornbusch,
E. Merril arlsmith, Ste'en E. !ushwall, 4hilip F. ?itter, 6erbert Feiderman, /lbert 6.
6astorf and ?uth T. Hross from Stanford enter for Study of Jouth -e'elopment and
published in /pril $18B. They state that there are three main types of parenting that are
associated with specific beha'ioral, cogniti'e, and social characteristics. The parenting
styles are $0 /uthoritarian@UnCualified characteri;ed by power assertion from the parents
and lower emphasis by child on internal moral judgments which results in the low self@
esteem of the child. "0 /uthoritati'e where 3parents must be responsi'e not only to the
needs of the child, but also to the persuasi'eness of the childs arguments5 which in turn
leads to both responsibility and self@assertion among children. /uthoratati'e parents are
li:ely to ma:e decisions without the participation of the child %0 4ermissi'e I is where
the child is allowed to ma:e decisions as much as possible. >endel and Fesser reported
that parents who ha'e a more relaxed parenting style had more of a sense of harmony
during the transition period of adolescence. They state that 3Studies dont resol'e the
direction of effects, for children who ha'e 'alues li:e their parents are more li:ely to
listen to parental explanations5 ,%"&@%"80. Most of what 9 read for this article is new
information that 9 learned and it adds significantly to the point that since 9m not a parent
9 didnt :now the different parenting styles. 9 really li:e what this article said, but it also
raises the thought that despite all the parenting and guidance, a child can turn out any
way they want. 4arents play a part in how children grow up, just li:e what is stated
abo'e, but how do other factors li:e stress and responsibilities affect single parents and
their beha'iorG
Stress and Responsiilities
/ll parents ha'e responsibilities, but whats the impact that they ha'e on their
li'esG The last article examines the impact of combined wor:K family responsibilities of
single parent employees. -ianne S !urden, an /ssistant 4rofessor of Social 4olicy and
?esearch, wrote an article entitled 3Single 4arents and the =or: SettingA The 9mpact of
Multiple Eob and 6omelife ?esponsibilities5 in Eanuary $18*. 9t was published in Family
Relations. She belie'es that po'erty is the major issue that single parents and their
children face. She states, 3=or:ing women are healthier and show more self@acceptance,
greater satisfaction with life, greater longe'ity5 ,%&@2%0. She also identifies that 3Single
mothers are more li:ely than married mothers to be employed because employment
seems to be a 'ital lin: in pro'iding a thri'ing self@sufficient lifestyle5 ,%&@2%0.
Furthermore, she obser'es that, 3There are studies that indicate that single female parents
are at high ris: for le'els of family role strain and decreased physical emotional well@
being5 but 3in spite of increased stress, single parents didnt report greater numbers of
problems with children.They reported among the highest le'els of job satisfaction5 ,%&@
2%0. =hile single parents are performing full@time wor: they are managing their
combined wor:Kfamily demands on the one income usually of a low@paid woman and
without the assistance of another adult to pro'ide practical and emotional support. The
result appears to be 3ineCuitable stress and strain on single parent employees and their
families5 ,%&@2%0.
=hat was surprising was that there are studies that indicate that single female
parents are at high ris: for le'els of family role strain and decreased physical emotional
well@being. 9n spite of increased stress, the article did point out that single parents didnt
report greater numbers of problems with their children. /nother thing that 9 learned is
that B$+ of single parent families where the head of house doesnt wor: are in po'erty
and $1+ are in po'erty when they wor: part time, and finally only &+ are in po'erty
when the head of the house wor:s full time. This article was 'aluable because it hits on
se'eral important points. For example, that single parents indicate the greatest amount of
stress, and yet, with multiple responsibilities they are able to function at high le'els on
the job, but they may be doing so at the expense of their own emotional and physical
well@being. The long term conseCuence of stress remains to be seen.
Conclusion
=hen 9 started my research for this exploratory paper 9 had the opinion that
growing up with only one parent is perfectly fine. /fter all this research that 9 did, 9 still
ha'e the same opinion on the subject, but 9 feel much more educated on the subject. /n
article caught my eye so 9 started with loo:ing at statistics of children with psychiatric
problems which also taught me to be careful about belie'ing data. This led me to loo: at
how researchers really base their statistics on cultural assumptions, but what is important
is the relationship with parents. Then 9 got sic: of loo:ing at the problems they ha'e at
home and wanted to examine how they affected the children in school. 9 :ind of jumped
to thin:ing about how parenting is blamed for how a child turns out which is why 9
loo:ed at parenting strategies. Finally 9 circled around that each parent is different which
is why 9 loo:ed at how factors li:e stress effect their beha'ior which it turn effects their
children. <'erall, the most of important what 9 ha'e obser'ed is that the number of
parents isnt important, but the Cuality of the communication is, and financial problems
are also a giant factor. .'en after all this research 9 still belie'e that two parents arent
necessarily better, but it may ma:e life easier.
Works Cited
!urden, -ianne S. 3Single 4arents and the =or: SettingA The 9mpact of Multiple Eob and
6omelife ?esponsibilities.5 Family Relations %B. $ ,Ean. $18*0A %&@2%. JSTOR.
=eb. %$ Mar. "#$2.
osgro'e@Mather, !ootie. 3Single@4arent >ids More /t ?is:.5 Associated Press "##%.
=eb. "& Mar. "#$2.
-ornbusch, Sanford M., E. Merrill arlsmith, Ste'en E. !ushwall, 4hilip F. ?itter,
6erbert Feidermon, /lbert 6. 6astorf, and ?uth T. Hross. 3Single 4artnes,
.xtended 6ouseholds, and the ontrol of /dolescents.5 Child e!elo"ment B*. "
,/pr. $18B0A %"*@%2$. JSTOR. =eb. %$ Mar. "#$2.
6allinan, Maureen T., -a'id M. >lein and Eennifer Hlass. Chan#e in Social $nstitutions.
Springer US, $11#. =eb. %$ Mar. "#$2.
Eayson, Sharon. 3Single Moms Sons an Succeed, Dew ?esearch Shows.% USA
TOA&. US/ T<-/J, "& /ug. "##8. =eb. 2 /pr. "#$2.

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