Single Mothers; How Family and Childcare Issues Affect Employment
Single Mothers; How Family and Childcare Issues Affect Employment
In fall of 2009 Specialist Alexis Hutchinson, a 21-year-old Army cook and single parent, was days from deploying to Afghanistan for a year when her mother backed out of an agreement to take care of her 10-month-old son for the duration of her tour. Her mother, Angelique Hughes, had a child of her own at home and was also caring for a sick sister while running a day care from her home in California. Feeling overwhelmed, Ms. Hughes took the boy back to Georgia, where Specialist Hutchinson was based, and begged her to find someone else. Specialist Hutchinson chose to stay home with her son and missed her flight to Afghanistan. She was arrested and later charged with offenses that could have led to a court-martial and jail time. She eventually received an other-than-honorable discharge, ending an incident that surprised many legal experts and spurred debate within military circles. (Dao, 2010)
Why did this story make news? What was odd about this young woman refusing to go to war when thousands of single mothers have gone off to war in both Iraq and Afghanistan since 2001? I think it became a story because it highlighted a larger national problem that I’ve witnessed of single female parents who had to make hard choices for the welfare of their children because of their job (employment). My aim is to discuss the difficulties associated with single parenthood and how it affects childcare and employment. Lastly, I’ll focus on two solutions that will help alleviate this problem
The last snapshot of the American family, taken by the U.S. Census Bureau in 2000, looked markedly different from previous years. Divorced parents, stepparents, adoptive parents, unmarried biological parents who live together, gay parents, and single parents raising a child on their own- all add up to the most astonishing revelation: The "typical" family of married parents and their biological children accounts for fewer than
In fall of 2009 Specialist Alexis Hutchinson, a 21-year-old Army cook and single parent, was days from deploying to Afghanistan for a year when her mother backed out of an agreement to take care of her 10-month-old son for the duration of her tour. Her mother, Angelique Hughes, had a child of her own at home and was also caring for a sick sister while running a day care from her home in California. Feeling overwhelmed, Ms. Hughes took the boy back to Georgia, where Specialist Hutchinson was based, and begged her to find someone else. Specialist Hutchinson chose to stay home with her son and missed her flight to Afghanistan. She was arrested and later charged with offenses that could have led to a court-martial and jail time. She eventually received an other-than-honorable discharge, ending an incident that surprised many legal experts and spurred debate within military circles. (Dao, 2010)
Why did this story make news? What was odd about this young woman refusing to go to war when thousands of single mothers have gone off to war in both Iraq and Afghanistan since 2001? I think it became a story because it highlighted a larger national problem that I’ve witnessed of single female parents who had to make hard choices for the welfare of their children because of their job (employment). My aim is to discuss the difficulties associated with single parenthood and how it affects childcare and employment. Lastly, I’ll focus on two solutions that will help alleviate this problem
The last snapshot of the American family, taken by the U.S. Census Bureau in 2000, looked markedly different from previous years. Divorced parents, stepparents, adoptive parents, unmarried biological parents who live together, gay parents, and single parents raising a child on their own- all add up to the most astonishing revelation: The "typical" family of married parents and their biological children accounts for fewer than