To What Extent are Single Mothers a Drag on Society - Essay Example

To What Extent are Single Mothers a Drag on Society? Recent decades have seen a significant increase in the number of single parent families in the society and many of these instances have come as a result of women choosing to raise their children on their own. It has been found that the high divorce rates as well as situations where women choose not to have the men who fathered their children in their lives have made the advent of single motherhood possible. While in many circumstances, one will find that there is a lot of admiration for these mothers, it has also been found that these women are becoming more of a burden than a benefit to society. This has been mainly because of the fact that a large number of single mothers also have to work to earn a living for their children and despite having jobs, it has been found that it is still difficult for them to make ends meet. Studies that have been conducted in recent years have shown that the presence of a father in a child’s life is extremely important in ensuring that they develop in a proper environment where they feel safe. However, the lack of paternal presence in the lives of children can be very difficult for these children and it has been found that a large number of children brought up by single mothers end up being delinquents. This is mainly because of the fact that many mothers are often out working in order to make ends meet and because they have no partner to spend time with the children and guide them when they are away, it creates a situation where children come to into the influence of their peers (Son & Bauer, 2010). The result is that a large number of children end up getting involved in drug abuse and crime from an early age and this is because of the mental deficiency that comes about because of the lack of one parent. While it is highly commendable for single mothers to work hard to support their children, this is often also counterproductive because they spend too much time from their children, ensuring that there is a lack of communication between them (Christopher, England, Smeeding & Katherin, 2002). This is where the presence of a father is important because even though both parents may work, at least one of them will be able to spare time to spend with the children and this makes it possible for the children to appreciate their presence. In addition, the presence of two working parents ensures that there is more income for the family, resulting in less need to work for long hours to make ends meet. Thus, both parents have the time to spend with their children while also being able to make ends meet, and this provides the children with the opportunity to live in a safe and stable environment which discourages them from getting involved in vices which might end up being a burden on society. It has been found that the need for single mothers to dedicate more time to their children has led to their becoming less productive within the economy. Many single mothers, especially those with very young children, have to dedicate most of their time to the latter because in many cases, these children cannot take care of themselves or their mothers cannot afford to pay for babysitting services. This results in some mothers having to work for shorter hours and in some cases, having to stop working altogether and many of these ends up descending into poverty. In other cases, single mothers, especially those in their teenage end up relying heavily on their parents (Ellison, 2003) to support them and their children. The case of unplanned teenage pregnancy and motherhood is considered to be a massive economic burden because it often finds these young mothers completely unprepared for the task (Barratt, Roach, Morgan & Colbert, 1996). Many of them in most cases do not have jobs to support themselves and instead, have to rely on their parents or close relatives for support. This is normally a big drag on the society because many young single mothers often require support while at the same time not making any contribution towards the society. Many single mothers often require assistance from social welfare programs designed to support them, but while this may be the case, it becomes a burden on the society mainly because other working members of the society, through their taxes, are the ones who pay for welfare programs (Beckert, Strom, Strom, Darre & Weed, 2008). This creates a situation where a number of single mothers, while not being productive in the economic sense, are often the main beneficiaries of government programs stimulated by the same economy. This system has been greeted with resentment in recent years with many questioning the need to support single mothers when in fact; they are not able to make any significant contributions to the development of the economy (Brown & Lichter, 2004). The negative attitude towards single motherhood has further been fuelled by the fact that some able bodied single mothers often come to rely solely on social welfare to support themselves and their children and this reliance takes advantage of the social welfare system that has been put in place to the disadvantage of other members of the society who might need it more than them. The discussion above has shown that in recent decades there has been a significant increase in the number of single parent families in the society and many of these instances have come as a result of women choosing to raise their children on their own. In addition, studies that have been conducted in recent years have shown that the presence of a father in a child’s life is extremely important in ensuring that they develop in a proper environment where they feel safe. Moreover, it has been found that the need for single mothers to dedicate more time to their children has led to their becoming less productive within the economy. Finally, it has been found that many single mothers often require assistance from social welfare programs designed to support them, but while this may be the case, it becomes a burden on the society mainly because other working members of the society, through their taxes, are the ones who pay for welfare programs. References Barratt, M.S., Roach, M.A., Morgan, K.M. & Colbert, K.K. 1996, "Adjustment to motherhood by single adolescents", Family Relations, vol. 45, no. 2, pp. 209. Beckert, T.E., Strom, P.S., Strom, R.D., Darre, K. & Weed, A. 2008, "SINGLE MOTHERS OF EARLY ADOLESCENTS: PERCEPTIONS OF COMPETENCE", Adolescence, vol. 43, no. 170, pp. 275-90. Brown, J.B. & Lichter, D.T. 2004, "Poverty, Welfare, and the Livelihood Strategies of Nonmetropolitan Single Mothers*", Rural Sociology, vol. 69, no. 2, pp. 282-301. Christopher, K., England, P., Smeeding, T.M. & Katherin, R.P. 2002, "The gender gap in poverty in modern nations: Single motherhood, the market, and the state", Sociological Perspectives, vol. 45, no. 3, pp. 219-242. Ellison, M.A. 2003, "Authoritative knowledge and single women's unintentional pregnancies, abortions, adoption, and single motherhood: Social stigma and structural violence", Medical anthropology quarterly, vol. 17, no. 3, pp. 322-47. Son, S. & Bauer, J.W. 2010, "Employed Rural, Low-Income, Single Mothers' Family and Work Over Time", Journal of Family and Economic Issues, vol. 31, no. 1, pp. 107-120. Read More