Paper Topic:

Single Parents in America

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Single Mothers and Poverty

Introduction

. more than one-third of families led by single mothers live below the poverty line (USA Today , Online Report , 2002

Defining poverty in contemporary American society has become something of an issue over recent years , with both popular and expert opinions apparently clashing over terms and their different implications . At present , for example , current debate concerns whether and to what extent poverty should be defined in absolute and /or relative terms : Should poverty be defined as being unable

to meet essential and fundamental needs (absolute , or should it be identified as those who live on the perimeters of society and /or the norm (relative ? Other people , however , have suggested that poverty . is the minimum level of income deemed necessary to achieve an adequate standard of living (Rachel Zachariah , Journal Article , 1994

This understands and measures poverty as being relative to its surrounding community . Social , cultural , and economic factors all play a part in determining the conditions in which people live , with many people being unable to change their personal circumstances Surrounded by a world that is both unequal and discriminatory , it is believed that more than 35 .9 million people live below the poverty line in the United States , which includes 12 .9 million children (U .S . Census Bureau , Online Report , 2004

Single Mothers and Poverty

On average , single mothers are believed to have a lower education and less work ability than partnered parents do , and many single mothers have more difficulties securing work with adequate wages to raise their children (Cororan et al , 2000 . The work they do manage to find seldom includes family-friendly policies and practices , such as paid sick leave and /or flexible working hours , while their personal circumstances often prevents them from obtaining higher wages , promotion , or job security The vast majority of single mothers , in contrast to their partnered counterpart , are less able to pay for childcare and are less likely to have the benefit of a family member to help with childcare while they work . Like many others on low incomes , single mothers and their children are more likely to suffer from physical and mental health problems (Sarfati and Scott , 2001 . Single mothers also sometimes experience emotional problems from family violence , marriage breakdown , continuing disputes with the children 's father , and problems finding and keeping paid work due to their children 's behavioral problems (Pryor and Rodgers , 2001

The health risks involved within this are tremendous for both the mother and her children . Women , and their children , who are struggling to survive under these conditions are far more prone to health problems resulting from exposure to violence , parasites , poor nutrition , and infection diseases , but often have difficulties accessing health care This problem with access can increase the possibility of health troubles becoming acute

The number of children who become homeless increases as the number single mothers displaced from housing because of financial hardship and domestic problems increases (Mary Ann Burg , Journal Article , 1994

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