Informative Speech - Single Parent Households
Single Parent Households
Single Parent Households Family is defined in Webster’s dictionary as “a group consisting of parents and children living in a household together”. But not all families have a mother, father, and children. Some families only have one parent making it a single parent household. Since the 1960’s single parent households have been increasing year after year. Information provided by the U.S. Census Bureau shows an increase of 3% in single parent homes from 2008 to 2012. Research shows by the University of Washington 's West Coast Poverty Center, that having only one income earner in the home puts single parent households at risk for poverty. Living in poverty is stressful and can have many emotional effects on children, including low self-esteem, increased anger, frustration, and an increased risk for violent behavior. Besides financial constraints, other emotional effects of growing up in a single parent household may include feelings of abandonment, sadness, loneliness, difficulty socializing, and connecting with others. Effects vary from child to child, however, and the individual parenting style of the single parent is also a big influence on the child’s development.
For the financial side, income loss appears to affect the well-being of children by putting a negative impact on family relations and parenting. The link between economic stress and mental health has been documented in various studies. Single mothers must obtain sufficient money to cover the most basic needs, such as food, shelter, and clothing. Financial strain is one of the strongest predictors of depression in single parents that then affect the children. Poor single mothers often experience a cycle of hopelessness and despair which is detrimental to both themselves and their children. Mother-only families are more likely to be poor because of the lower earning capacity of women, inadequate public assistance, and lack of enforced child support
Single Parent Households Family is defined in Webster’s dictionary as “a group consisting of parents and children living in a household together”. But not all families have a mother, father, and children. Some families only have one parent making it a single parent household. Since the 1960’s single parent households have been increasing year after year. Information provided by the U.S. Census Bureau shows an increase of 3% in single parent homes from 2008 to 2012. Research shows by the University of Washington 's West Coast Poverty Center, that having only one income earner in the home puts single parent households at risk for poverty. Living in poverty is stressful and can have many emotional effects on children, including low self-esteem, increased anger, frustration, and an increased risk for violent behavior. Besides financial constraints, other emotional effects of growing up in a single parent household may include feelings of abandonment, sadness, loneliness, difficulty socializing, and connecting with others. Effects vary from child to child, however, and the individual parenting style of the single parent is also a big influence on the child’s development.
For the financial side, income loss appears to affect the well-being of children by putting a negative impact on family relations and parenting. The link between economic stress and mental health has been documented in various studies. Single mothers must obtain sufficient money to cover the most basic needs, such as food, shelter, and clothing. Financial strain is one of the strongest predictors of depression in single parents that then affect the children. Poor single mothers often experience a cycle of hopelessness and despair which is detrimental to both themselves and their children. Mother-only families are more likely to be poor because of the lower earning capacity of women, inadequate public assistance, and lack of enforced child support
References: Maranto, Robert (2014, April 20) Ignoring an Inequality Culprit: Single-Parent Familie http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303603904579493612156024266 The Future of Children (2005, Fall) Why Do Single-Parent Families Put Children at Risk? http://futureofchildren.org/publications/journals/article/index.xml?journalid=37&articleid=107§ionid=692 Kunz, Marnie (2014, Jan 6) The Effects of a Single Parent Home on a Child 's Behavior http://www.livestrong.com/article/83670-effects-single-parent-home-childs/ Kirby, Jacqueline (1993) Single-parent Families in Poverty http://www3.uakron.edu/schulze/401/readings/singleparfam.htm AP (1988, June 29) Single-Parent Homes: The Effect on Schooling http://www.nytimes.com/1988/06/29/garden/single-parent-homes-the-effect-on-schooling.html Data Center (2012) Children in single parent families by race http://datacenter.kidscount.org/data/Tables/107-children-in-single-parent-families-by-race?loc=1&loct=1#detailed/1/any/false/868,867,133,38,35/10,168,9,12,1,13,185/432,431