According to the US Census Bureau, 21.2 million children being raised in single parent homes as of August 2007. This figure represents approximately 26% of children in the US. When single parents can make themselves aware of the disadvantages, it places them in a position to be able to guard against them.
For example, statistics show that single parent homes to produce children at risk of academic challenges in maths and science. This may be as a result of single parents time availability when it comes to homework however, regardless of the cause, being aware of this means the parent can find someone to assist or adjust their schedule.
The academic dilemma
An article published by Penn State in Science blog entitled; Single parenthood disadvantages U.S. children more than others in math and science explains the dilemma of the disadvantages of single parenting and child academic behaviour.
According to their findings; “Most of the research linking single-parenthood to children’s school performance has been done with single nations,” says Dr. Suet-ling Pong, associate professor of education and sociology and demography. “We do not know much about the impact of single parenthood across cultures and countries.”
The assumption sis that lower financial resources mean less time spent developing children’s academic focus at home. The study considers 9-year-old third and fourth graders who participated in the Third International Math and Science Study from 10 industrialized countries with similar cultural traditions to the U.S namely Canada, Norway, Iceland, Australia, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Austria, Scotland, England and Ireland.
In considering the disadvantages of single parenting in this context Pong and Hampden-Thompson explain that “For both academic subjects – math and science – the largest performance gap between children from single-parent homes and those from two-parent families is found in the U.S., in other words, the U.S. ranks bottom among the 11 developed countries in terms of the equality of school performance between children from these two types of families.”
The welfare debate: US vs the world
Data from all 25 countries suggest that two-parent households predominate with the U.S. and New Zealand showing the greatest effect reflecting the disadvantages of single parenting on education. Even after adjusting a few variables U.S. single-parent students proved weaker than Australian, Icelandic and Dutch students in math and than Austrian, Australian, Icelandic, Irish, Dutch and Norwegian students did in science.
Strong family policies such as financial benefits, child or family allowances, childcare costs and paid maternity leave were shown to influence the outcomes to a large extent. According to Pong the U.S. has fallen by the wayside compared to its industrialized counterparts in providing financial and child care assistance to poor and single-parent households.
Discussions lead to questioning the dependency on welfare systems concerning the disadvantages of single parenting and academic behaviour in children; however, Iceland, the Netherlands and Australia have generous welfare systems in comparison to the U.S., as well as lower poverty rates. This includes lower fertility rates and percentages of single-parent families than other countries.
Single parenting – the bad news
The darker side of the pros and cons facts about single parenting include the following negative trends within single parenting families;
- According to the Center for Disease Control, Atlanta, 75% of children in chemical dependency hospitals hail from single-parent families.
- The Children’s Defense Fund shows that over one half of all youths incarcerated for criminal acts lived in one-parent families as youths.
- The FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin – Investigative Aid reveals that 63% of suicides are individuals from single parent families.
- 75% of teenage pregnancies are adolescents according to ‘Children in need: Investment Strategies…Committee for Economic Development’
Disadvantages of single parenting include children having to suffer emotionally. As a result they may display lower self esteem and lean toward the behavioural problems as seen above. This is due to interaction time between parent and children. In order to gain the attention they seek and do not receive they act out until they do. When parents can be aware of these tendencies, they may be able to recognise what they need to do as opposed to reacting with anger to the child’s desire for emotional support.
When juggling parenting and dealing with the disadvantages of single parenting including time constraints due to financial problems, TipsBooklets.com is a great resource to look over and consider ways to make money from home.
Adolescents place a great deal of their self esteem in material and external factors. As a result, seeing friends with trendy clothing and nice cars becomes a challenge in a world where society dictates ones value to lie in external possessions. These are fleeting and oftentimes persons who may appear to have everything in fact suffer deep emotional and psychological scars because of neglect of the soul.
Single parenting – the good news
Daunting statistics such as the above pose various serious questions about single parenting status.
The disadvantages single parenting homes include facing the following questions;
- Would it be better only I had a partner?
- Do I feel I can’t be happy without being in a relationship?
- Do I that feel that everything would be perfect if I could find the one?
- Do I feel lonely?
A large number of people are single, but not many ask themselves what exactly about it is what makes people feel bad. Being single affects a great number of people. Society sends very particular messages about a dual parent family and how life is ‘supposed’ to be. In order to overcome the disadvantages of being a single parent, you need to monitor the subconscious promptings that make you feel bad about being a single parent.
Many single parents are bound to the disadvantages of single parenting simply due to what society tells them. The term ‘single parent’ alone has connotations which are attached to many negative stereotypes, and this is the reality you need to be aware is a fabrication.
Another way to overcome disadvantages and pitfalls, which lead to negative statistics, are to learn how to raise children with coping skills, as well as by teaching morals and self-respect. In order to monitor their children’s needs without them having to act out, by listening to the child one can overcome obstacles to a balanced sense of self.
By engaging outside help once can overcome the disadvantages of single parenting by looking to the community, family and friends. There are plenty of resources available in the form of programs and initiatives to enrol your child in to keep them engaged.
Pros and cons
Thought, foresight and organisation can be employed to assist in overcoming situations that may arise as a single parent. These apply regardless of whether your status came about through death of a spouse, adoption, teenage pregnancy, divorce or abandonment;
- Lack of Support: A family unit has back-up everyday, which is not common for a single parent. Visiting community support systems and online searches will yield various leads to follow in your area.
- Too Much Pressure and Stress: A lack of support leads to highly stressful situations which can be offset by going for a walk or learning yoga.
- Financial Pressure: The demands of the Western world come down heavily on members of society who are not easy to live up to. The media exacerbates this and to overcome the disadvantages of single parenting it’s essential to build a strong sense of inner self in your children. Teach your children gratitude and they will gain perspective of their own accord.
- Child Care Issues: Child care is a difficult situation for single mothers who are suffering financially. There are many support structures in communities such as homes for mothers to share abodes, chores and financial obligations. Online searches provide assistance with these.
- Limited Social Life: Socialising becomes restrained as a single parent; solutions include finding moms and dads of your age and spending time while your kids are playing together.
Analysing the disadvantages of single parenting
According to Karlie Bestler single mom and author, there are many disadvantages of single parenting which can be summed up into one big disadvantage: a lack of adequate support systems. Raising a child literally takes a village, ‘A village of parents, grandparents, relatives, neighbors, daycare workers, medical professionals, teachers and social workers all play vital roles in the raising of a child. Without the necessary support systems to raise a child, the families suffer.’
People are under the impression that the biggest disadvantage is financial however there are pros and cons to education and welfare grants. Resources invested in need to be just as well managed as the money that bought them. Without support systems and the advantages of the other parent as a back up if one fails disadvantages of single parenting arise.
Additional support structures are needed, according to Karlie when the child becomes ill and requires care and finances for treatment. If the parent falls ill, this poses another problem altogether. As demographics generate more single parent families, communities with stronger self sustaining networks are required to support them. This mirrors the age we live in, where silos and isolated living, being cut off from ones neighbours is being forced to be reviewed. Extreme cases of overcoming this with humanitarian morale can be seen in natural disasters. Hopefully it need not come to that for us to work together as a societal unit toward overcoming the disadvantages of single parenting.