Children
in single parent homes are faced with more problems than children in two parent homes. They exhibit serious challenges compared to peers who reside in homes where both parents are present and active. One challenge they face is less income coming into the household. Having one income changes the economic situation which sometimes leads to having to move to a poorer neighborhood, affecting friendships and supportive relationships.
According to the US Census Bureau, nine percent of children who have two parents in the home live in poverty but an astonishing 43 percent of children in single-mother households are at or below the poverty level. Many single parent families maybe unable to provide the basics. In some cases, financial support is needed to pay part of the rent, utilities or food. In some cases there are single parents who earn above the poverty level and are denied assistance; leaving these parents to choose between paying health insurance premiums or keeping the electricity on.
Studies have shown that children of single parents do poorer in school than those who have both of their parents in the home. According to Rebecca O’Neil author of “Experiments in Living: The Fatherless Family”, written in 2002. She attributes poor state test scores measuring reading, math and critical thinking skills to be a result of divorce. She also states that children have problems with teachers, have difficulty with school work, more likely to be truant from school and eventually stop attending by age 16.