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Michael Gonzalez
Ms. Jones
English
21 April 2015
Single Parenting Effects: Exploring the Impact of Single Parenting on a Child
Parenting is a part of romantics and life itself, however it can be a virtue in the long run
which leads parents to be proud of what they have raised. It is an experience which can lead an
individual to learn more about themselves. However, for the children raised under the roof of a
single parent, there is a lasting impression that can be made based on the parents influence. In a
traditional home there are two parents that have an equal opportunity to support a child along
with the added benefit to aid in the maturing process. However, not every individual has this
experience mapped out for them.
In the words of Bill OReilly a political commentator and host of the OReilly Factor he
once stated, Single parent situations drive poverty and often lead to unsupervised kids. Many
boys growing up without fathers often feel angry and abandoned. Thus, they seek comfort in all
the wrong places. Single parenting is often regarded as one of the most difficult jobs in the
world. It has this title for good reason. Mothers raising a child solely have far greater obstacles
than usual. The reasoning is simple, there is only half the support needed to raise a child.
However, there are instances where a child is better off being raised by a single parent, and in
addition this upbringing does not translate to a defective childhood. The upbringing of a child
singly does not always have the tendency to be defective due to the caretaking associated with
them by their mother. Though many factors outweigh these mothers, these individuals are still
going along day by day exhibiting the utmost sign of integrity. Statistically, children who are

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raised in single parent households are at a significant disadvantage within the United States.
These disadvantages can come in various forms, children brought up in single parent households
especially in households held by women tend to have long-lasting impressions such as the
likelihood to live in poverty and other significant negative effects.
One of the most significant lasting effects of being raised by a single parent is the fact
that children are far more likely to become impoverished once fully grown. There are several
crucial reasons for this seemingly inherited poverty trait. Statistically these children will have an
idea of the constructs of poverty at a young age. According to Jonathan Rauch, a writer at
Greenhaven Press, Nearly three fourths of children in single-parent families will experience
poverty by age 11 (Rauch). One of the core issues is that individuals of single parent households
emulate their parents lifestyle. The issue with this is in its entirety this unwanted retention will
occur when individual is unaware (Tesha). In addition, the child will develop a lifestyle based off
of how they were raised in which, characteristics of their parents will be retained. Rauch also
calls attention to a crucial point, It is to say that the long-term presence of two parentsin other
words, marriageis a better predictor of a child's life chances than is race or income, and that
illegitimacy and single parenthood are risky no matter what your race or income (Rauch). The
mindset of the child could be severely affected at a young age where many of these traits will be
absorbed. Single mothers have educational and occupational affairs to tend to. Being that a single
mother has educational and occupational affairs, it is easy to infer that a during the crucial
development period of a childs life there will be less prominent support for a child. This
translates to lower quality of life, the child has little no reason to demonstrate initiative. A
secondary figure impacts the economic status of a family. The most iconic thing is the fact that
there are many cases where fathers are absent or barely present. Elizabeth Haerans in her

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published work states, Hence, it is no surprise that nonmarital births now make up 40 percent of
all births (Haerans). The importance of this statistic is the percentage can then be subdivided
to the point where out of that forty percent a large group of children will be raised by one parent
which is likely, the mother. These nonmarital births are the general cause in the majority of the
poverty within the United States. Fredrick Hartmann a student at The Urban Assembly Gateway
School for Technology has had a particularly similar experience in the past. His father is no
longer present just drops off checks. Hartmann is able to recall a specific time period from
childhood, Once my father left, my mother had to fend for herself and her family; at first it
didnt seem all that bad we were eating off a pizza box as a makeshift table at one point
(Hartmann). Hartmann is a key advocate for poverty after the event of fatherlessness. The reason
for this can vary, in comparison with individuals raised in two parent homes, individuals raised
by one parent have significantly less resources available to them within their everyday life. To
make up for the loss, a mother has the primary responsibility of tending to the child's every need
where most of the time there is barely enough money to make ends meet. Due to this, there is
little flexibility in all aspects of life for a single mother, ranging from the workplace to pursuing
an education (Haerans). The lack of flexibility opens a new gate for a child. Under these
circumstances, a likelihood toward negative influences will occur and in time these influences
can deteriorate the capability of the individual on all levels including poverty.
Living without a father can lead to unwanted behaviors, in children and young adults.
Behavioral issues can stem from many regions throughout the upbringing of an individual.
Primarily, trauma is prevalent within these individuals lives and can come in many forms. One
of the easiest to identify is emotional trauma, likely due to lack of connection with both parents.
In contrary, individuals whom are raised by both parents are less likely to have experienced such

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trauma (Tesha). These children have no father, and a mother in terms of emotional connection
depending on her schedule. This disconnect can lead to an increased frustration directed at their
parents or anyone currently involved in their lives. Individuals who rarely had access for
emotional support from their mothers can be severely impacted by this, the problems range from
lack of trust to lack of emotional connection with significant others. Emotional trauma
experienced in combination with having few to none available to converse their feelings with,
leads to an increased frustration. However there are countermeasures to these behavioral impacts.
Children need to know about their second parents in easily understandable terms. The truth of the
matter is, if the child learns of the relationship history, they are less likely to make the same
mistake, and are less likely to be as impacted as most children who are raised by a single mother
(Tesha). There are individual struggles both a mother and child must face that truly test the will
of both of them. It is self evident that any cautionary measures should be taken to help ease a
child to become accepting of their current circumstance. Though not having an active father, it is
important for the children to have their questions answered which helps deter bad behavior.
In terms of population within the United States, single mothers comprise thirty-six
percent of the population. This number is staggering, especially due to the fact that many of these
mothers rely on some sort of governmental assistance program. Single mothers need to meet
what is expected of them as parents, however there needs to be incentives to aid in the process of
raising a child solely. Haerans argues, They need supports including child care, workplace
flexibility, and wage supplements(Haerans). The calling for this is vital; furthermore, aid of
single mothers in anyway possible will help ease the parenting process. Some may argue against
providing for single mothers due to the fact that these individuals believe that measures to help
alleviate the stress of raising a child only enable laziness in mothers. The issue with this

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argument is it does not acknowledging the hardship of those who have the most demanding job
there is, referred to as single parenting. Currently in the United States, forty five percent of single
mothers in the United States are enrolled in welfare or other alternative (Haerans). Almost fifty
percent of single mothers need assistance to keep their lives afloat. Government assistance does
not cover all aspects of life for example, babysitting is a crucial part of everyday life for a
working mother up until the child is ready for school. A single mother is truly at a severe
disadvantage financially than most individuals in the world, this needs to be changed in order to
ensure children have equal opportunity.
The lives of individuals raised by a single mother can be extremely unpredictable
however, it is not always the case. These individuals despite the mother's best interest go through
significantly greater changes than those in two parent homes for quite obvious reasons. These
individuals tend to take up a chaotic lifestyle. Ranging from a released parent to eventually being
moved into foster care, it all depends on the parental skills of an individual even still there is no
telling how life is mapped out. Having little resources available to them, or feeling hopeless
creates an imbalance that no child should go through. The mixture of these elements creates a
person who almost seems directionless in the eyes of an outsider looking in.
Those who commit crimes, it is found that these individuals did not have exposure to
both parents. There is a significant correlation for fatherlessness and criminal standpoint. In
Detroit about 70% of black males are likely to commit homicide (Kopel). According to Kopel, a
writer at Greenhaven Press, Black males from single parent homes are far more likely to
commit crimes than those in two parent homes (Kopel). At an even greater disadvantage than
most, these individuals have to conform to urban life which in most instances are treacherous. It
is speculated that this likelihood to criminal activity comes from the lack of ability to learn

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important social skills. Knowing what is wrong from right is an important skill in determining
crucial decisions. In the words of Senator Pat Moynihan in 1965:
From the wild Irish slums of the nineteenth-century Eastern seaboard to the riottorn suburbs of Los Angeles, there is one unmistakable lesson in American
history: A community that allows a large number of young men to grow up in
broken families, dominated by women, never acquiring a stable relationship to
male authority, never acquiring any rational expectations about the futurethat
community asks for and gets chaos.... [In such a society] crime, violence, unrest,
unrestrained [rebellion against] whole social structurethese are not only to be
expected, they are virtually inevitable. (Kopel)

Being raised in a rough environment and only having a single parent, it is evident that lessons are
lost that are vital to maturity along with, the display of decency. These individuals are far more
likely to have behavioral issues as time persists especially when mixed in with other individuals
raised by single parents. If the single parent family is in a neighborhood with a large number of
other single-parent families, the odds of the young man becoming involved in crime are tripled
(Kopel). This shows that individuals surrounded by other individuals with similar circumstances
have little room for growth. Many of these individuals undergo hardships that can seem
predetermined and at the same time can be proven statistically with relative ease.
Marriage rates of those raised by one parent are unsurprisingly low. In fact, in the 1990s
there were more than seven million single parent homes (Census). This does necessarily reflect
negative, however these statistics are used as a figure to portray the outstanding amount of single
parent housing. These children have the first-hand insight of knowing how to handle single
parenting due to being a product themselves. Growing up to be an independent person is one of
the few options an individual has; additionally, it is amongst one of the most convenient of

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options. In the published work of Dora Tesha an analyst from Tanzania Daily News published
findings within, it is stated that Experience has also indicated that some girls raised in single
parent families can face problems in their marriage lifetime simply because they were raised,
seeing that the presence of only one parent can be enough (Tesha). The somber truth is,
marriage is a tradition that is losing its inclination as the years progress. There is no true pinpoint
why this is occurring, however one thing's for certain out of wedlock births are being blown out
of perspective. The impact of these out of wedlock births are spreading to their childrens future.
The initiative to marry is dropping by the day, people believe two people dont need to marry to
express their love. While this can be a decent argument, it isnt necessarily the truth. Unmarried
couples dont handle with each others struggles, end up arguing; some cases end up apart leaving
each other. This creates a lasting impression on the child, leading an increased resistance to the
idea of marriage and all of its tithes; hence, simple relationships seem to be easier for these types
of individuals. Additionally, these individuals can find themselves in an instance where couples
have an increased likelihood for unwed relationships.
There is a tendency to jump into marriage and sexual relations without giving any
thought. This creates an idea that the lack of relations is a good thing. Marriage legally represents
two individuals as one which conjoins benefits of each other. Not having this fallback creates
imbalance within a relationship, which tends to lead ultimately into partner separation. Partner
separation in itself can prove particularly difficult however, when there is a child involved the
task grows significantly challenging. Children require at a young age much tending to along with
support. Divorce or separation hinders a child's development by removing the constructs of a
relationship between both parents (Tesha). Having this extra load can truly mess with a childs
development.

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Though not all mothers have hardship in raising children solely, it should be noted that
many have to go through with this raising with no other options to look for, and even still despite
all factors weighed against their children these individuals have the capability to persevere if
enough effort is applied. However, those who cannot overcome the weight against them truly let
their children down. Single parenting is one of the hardest tasks given, far harder than most
demanding jobs because it is a twenty four seven duty. Children who are raised in single parent
households are lacking many of the resources that they need. These disadvantages can stem from
children brought up in single parent households especially in households held by women tend to
have long-lasting impressions such as the likelihood to live in poverty and other significant
negative effects.

Works Cited
Census Bureau, Housing in Metropolitan Areas - Single-Parent Families 21 April 2015.
Haerens, Margaret. Welfare. Ed. Elizabeth De Chanes. Greenhaven Press, 2012.
Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Text. 30 Mar. 2015.
Hartmann, Fredrick. Absent Father Interview. Michael Gonzalez 04 May. 2015.
Kopel, Dave. "The Root Cause of Juvenile Crime and Violence Is Fatherlessness." Juvenile
Crime. Ed. Auriana Ojeda. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2002. Opposing Viewpoints.
Rpt. from "Fatherlessness: The Root Cause." National Review Online. 2000. Opposing
Viewpoints in Context. Web. 4 May 2015.

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"Poverty, Health Care, Homelessness, Housing, and Employment." The American
Family: Reflecting a Changing Nation. Cynthia S. Becker. 2005 ed. Detroit: Gale, 2005.
Information Plus Reference Series.Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 31 Mar. 2015.
Rauch, Jonathan. "Marital Status Separates the Rich from the Poor." Is the Gap Between
the Rich and Poor Growing ? Ed. Robert Sims. San Diego: Greenhaven Press,
2006. At Issue. Rpt. from "The Widening Marriage Gap: America's New
Class Divide." National Journal 33 (19 May 2001):
1-471.Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 30 Mar. 2015.
Tesha, Dora. "Facing the Negative Effects of Single Parenthood [analysis]." Africa News
Service 19 Apr. 2011. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 30 Mar. 2015.

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