Single Mothers Policy - Assignment Example

Single Mothers Policy Paper Part This policy paper analyses the problem of single motherhood in society. It is essential that this problem is address due to the challenges that such families experience as they attempt to cope with reduced level of income. Additionally, there are concerns that children from families led by a single mother have a reduced chance of living a successful life than those raised in homes with both parents. Consequently, the following policy paper highlights historical development of the situation leading to increased demand for alternative approaches that will address issues such as creation of dependency. The paper focuses on two policies that have the potential of solving problems created by welfare systems for single mothers with creation of sustainable employment opportunities and reduction of out of wedlock births being areas of concern. Part 2 The number of children being raised by single mothers has continued to increase over the years with data indicating the ratio of children living in families headed by women at all-time high (Fang and Keane 2). Introduction of welfare programs for single mothers is informed by existing challenges they go through in being the only parent in the family. These mothers have to deal with increased demand for attention from their children, despite the fact that most of the mothers work in low paying jobs with few or no benefits (Deily 135). Apart from low income that is not sufficient to support the families, single mothers also have to work longer shifts to meet family needs. This implies that they have less time to take care of the children yet they cannot afford to employ a capable substitute housekeepers and caregivers (Albelda 200). Due to the continued rise in the number of single mother, there has been increased scrutiny of programs seeking to support single women with children. The program has been accused of not only improving the economic position of these women but also ensure they remain dependent on welfare. There is now a split in opinion over the best approach to tackle the situation especially when assessing the importance of welfare programs to economic stability of such families against the need to enable these women through polices that will make them economically independent in future. As a result of the arguments on the effectiveness of assistance to single mothers, there has been increased argument in support of polices that would empower women through job creation as opposed to focusing on welfare (Garfinkel and McLanahan). Part 3 Due to the inherent challenges within welfare systems calls for alternative policies that would help address the continued rise of single mothers who are dependent on government assistance. One of the available options is for the government to concentrate on job creation as an important approach in ensuring economic empowerment of these women (Fang and Keane 4). Creating sustainable job opportunities will provide the women with sufficient financial base to take care of the children. These policies should therefore focus on improving skills that will enhance employability of the single mothers. One of the approaches for developing skills that will lead to improvement in income is to include remedial education, vocational training and postsecondary education for these women. Additionally, assistance policy aimed at providing employment to single mothers can focus on urging the women to find jobs quickly. Such approaches should include job-search assistance and speedy training. Secondly, given the argument that government assistance for single mothers has resulted in increased number of women preferring single parenting, it is essential that a new policy dedicated to long-term solution to the problem should focus on reducing out of wedlock births (Amato and Maynard 125; Fang and Keane 40). A large proportion of single women with children got pregnant while still in their teenage years, with most of these births being unintended. Consequently, measures to reduce this problem should take a preventative approach by focusing on young women who are at risk of being single mothers in future. The policy should involve situational analysis to find out factors predisposing the young women to early pregnancy with a view of introducing programs to tackle the situation. Measures to curb the situation should involve diverse stakeholders such as education institutions and non-governmental institutions operating within the society. These multiparty efforts should lead to designing of community-based intervention efforts that respond to specific needs of the society by tackling issues based on socioeconomic and ethnic differences in communities. Part 4 For the proposed policies to improve the situation there are a number of criteria that must be met. Firstly, the most suitable policy must have effective mechanisms for analysis, assessment and implementation. A number of studies have claimed implementation of effective policy to reduce out of wedlock births will have significant impact on the number of single mothers in future. However, it is not guaranteed that if single mothers are denied the benefits of social welfare there will be a reduction of such pregnancies. Some have studies indicated welfare benefits did not have a direct role in increased out-of-wedlock births based on statistics indicating the rise of benefits in 1960s and reduction in the 1970s to 1980s. However, reduction of benefits in 1970s and 1980s took place in the same period that the figures of out-of-wedlock births were high in the United States (Cherlin 98). On the other hand, policies that aim at assisting the single mothers have had greater success for women with significant education and skills for income generation while those without the skills or education have found it difficult to gain meaningful employment. Efforts based on educational opportunities for these women have also succeeded in situation where the women have basic skills. Most of the women who have failed to gain meaningful education are those with only eighth grade and basic mathematical skills while those whose earlier experiences in schools were demoralizing found it hard to go back (Kahne and Mabel 5-7). However, implementation of polices that haven targeted speedy employment and job training have had positive results for the women of different educational backgrounds and skill levels with assistance in job-search also having a significant effect on the income of these women. Measures on reducing out of wedlock births respond to the need for a family to operate as a unit with each interrelated parts functioning to support each other. Past approaches in family relations had focused on the relationship between the mother and the child but it is increasingly apparent that successful families are based on existing relationship between both parents and the children as all the parts contributes to the success of the whole. However, offering work to single mothers responds to the fact that family structure is always undergoing transformations as it adapts to the members and outside environment. Therefore, efforts to respond the problem of single mother parenting should adapt to the situation by providing an enabling environment to ensure the mother meets all the demands of the family (Farber 49). Implementation of policies related to provision of employment opportunities for single mothers do not calculate wrongfully the economical implication of the approach. While the government has a role in safeguarding the interests of the children, there are constraints to the extent that such assistance can go. Available resources might not be adequate to ensure all single women with children are facilitated to gain employment for income that would sustain their needs and those of the children. Significant financial burden is placed on taxpayers when universal programs are undertaken to facilitate employment for single women across different states (Fang and Keane 2). However, the agencies in this area have limitations in influencing reduction of out of wedlock births, as their roles are limited to spreading awareness about the dangers associated with this trend. Ultimately, the targeted groups have the right to practice what they feel is right depending on their circumstances at that particular time. Part 5 The problem of single motherhood requires long-term intervention measures to ensure generations of children to come enjoy better parenting based on accessibility of both parents. Consequently, the best approach to curtail the continued rise in the number of single mothers is to implement an effective program that targets reduction of births outside wedlock. Firstly, the implementation of this policy should target teenagers both at the level of educational institutions and the community (Keefe and Elaine 186). This approach will see states work with community organizations by providing funds to support initiatives aimed at reducing teenage pregnancy. The best framework for this approach is to distribute available funds based on statistics such as number of teenage girls in a county, teenage pregnancy rates and recent trends in adolescent pregnancies. Given that the continued number of girls who get pregnant while at school indicates teenagers are engaging in active sex from early ages, it is also essential that focus is placed on programs to encourage them delay initiation of sexual intercourse (Farber 25). Additionally, this group should receive family planning education for young adults who are sexually actives. Social workers are essential for this step as they play the role of advocates by facilitating access to options most preferred by the client. Those who already have children should also be included to ensure they reduce practices that would lead to more children. Promotion of family planning can be carried out effectively within existing healthcare framework especially by distributing materials and training local welfare workers to comprehend effective methods of discussing contraception with clients. In this case, the social workers play the role a broker as they create avenues for resources from sponsors to reach the targeted population (Farber 82). Therefore, policies introduced as preventative measures will have better effect on the problem of single parents than having reactionary policies such as welfare program, which has continued to face criticism from majority of Americans. Implementation of measures to reduce out of wedlock births has been adopted as being effective when considered in the longer-term basis. This is because alternatives such as creation of employment instead of welfare for single mothers have been found to have implementation challenges resulting from differences in educational attainment and level of skills possessed by the single mothers. Reduction of out of wedlock births represents an area that will have long-term implications as it allows for closer working between parties such as the government, community organizations, adolescents and teenagers. Social workers are also essential as they create links and networks between sponsors of teenage pregnancy preventatives and different clients. These clients also find it easy to communicate to the social workers as they act as advocates of client’s needs. Works Cited Albelda, Randy. “Time Binds: U.S. Antipoverty Policies, Poverty, and the Well-Being of Single Mothers.” Feminist Economics 17.4 (2011): 189-214.Print. Amato, Paul R., and Rebecca A. Maynard. "Decreasing nonmarital births and strengthening marriage to reduce poverty." The Future of Children, 17.2 (2007): 117-141.Print. Cherlin, Andrew. Marriage, Divorce, Remarriage. Harvard : Harvard University Press, 2009. Deily, Elspeth. Working with Welfare: Can Single Mothers Manage. Berkeley Journal of Gender, Law & Justice, 12.1 (2013): 9 132-139.Print. Garfinkel, Irwin, and Sara S. McLanahan. "Single mothers and their children: a new American dilemma." Popline.org, n.d. Web. Oct. 11, 2014. Fang, Hanming, and Michael P. Keane. "Assessing the impact of welfare reform on single mothers." Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, 2004.1 (2004): 1-116.Print. Kahne, Hilda, and Zachary Mabel. "Single Mothers and Other Low Earners: Policy Routes to Adequate Wages." Poverty & Public Policy, 2.3 (2010): 113-149.Print. Keefe, Robert & Jurkowski, Elaine (Eds.). Handbook for Public Health Social Work. New York: Springer Publishing Company. 2013. Print. Farber, Naomi. Adolescent pregnancy: Policy and prevention services. New York: Springer Publishing Company, 2009.Print Read More