The Causes of Single Parenting the Effects and Methods of Curbing It - Essay Example

Single working mom Introduction Single parenting has turned out to be a rising trend among the modern generation and the society atlarge. There are many reasons why people become single parents however; divorce and premarital sex are the main causes of single parenthood. In USA, research conducted revealed that out every ten parents four are single parents and out of every ten adults in a country two are single parents (Gillham, 1997). Times have really changed and the current statistics would be a shocker to the future generations .Single parenting has a lot of effects on both the mother and the child there is therefore the need to prevent the causes of single parenting. The government usually provides programs and welfares which support such single mothers. The welfares include medical, food, housing assistance, education and childcare. The paper will focus on the causes of single parenting the effects and methods of curbing single parenting. Causes of Increasing Trend of Single Mothers The rate of unmarried childbirths in teenagers has increased “from 13% in 1950 to 79% in 2000” (Boonstra, 2002). Older members of the society claim that modern cultures have eroded values and morals taught on issues of traditions, beliefs and customs. Teenagers have begun engaging in sex from their tender ages, leading to the sudden rise of teen pregnancies. Adolescent pregnancy is the main reason why single parenting levels have increased at an alarming rate. A research conducted in 2001 revealed that only 10-20% of the women who had children in their teenage finished their secondary schooling. This implies that 80-90% found it impossible to progress and complete their studies. Early pregnancies have social class and employment impacts on industrialized nations. Teenage pregnancies are also related with social classes. Most teenage mothers usually have low education levels and are from poor backgrounds. This is because they do not have access to education due to lack of time because they concentrate on parenting. In some developed nations, teenage parents are at times married, implying pregnancies are usually welcomed by the society and hence the young mothers are willing to raise the children (Coleman &Cater, 2006). Gillham (1997) asserts that some teenage girls look forward to raising their own babies (p.10). Curiosity to raise their own children makes some teenage girls to rush into parenthood prior to understanding the consequences. With the rising cases of teenage pregnancy, the government has found it necessary programs to assist single mothers such as the New Labor’s Strategy, teenage pregnancy strategy, and adolescent pregnancy prevention program (Kidger, 2004). New Labor’s Strategy focuses on ensuring all teenage mothers acquire education, training or work in order to gain a living and take care of their families. The teenage pregnancy strategy established in 1999 aims at educating teenagers and increasing the involvement of young parents in employment, training and education. The current coalition government has abandoned the teenage pregnancy strategy and adopted a new policy that focuses on parenting policies and supporting troubled families (Wilson $ Huntington, 2006). Different states use different methods of dealing with single mothers and early pregnancies In North Carolina, the state established the adolescent pregnancy prevention program which aimed at ensuring the youth acquired the right tools of making responsible decisions and choices in future. The program supports academic achievement, offers essential education and promotes responsible citizenship. The agencies funded are required to use effective methods of delaying sexual initiation, giving contraceptives or reducing teenage pregnancy. The OAH or office of adolescent health is also partnering with the CDC to address the issue of adolescent pregnancy. This program specifically targets the black American community and the Hispanic or Latino youth who are between 15-19 years. The program will use various effective strategies such as media campaign and communication strategies. Psychological Effects of Single Parenting on Mother and Child Single parenting is tough and challenging and also has a lot of impact on the life of the child. The personality of the single parent at times might also be affected. The challenges are made worse if the parent does not have stable financial background that can guarantee a stable source of income to support themselves and their children. Several studies indicate that the child’s mental mind set and thinking is somehow affected or altered if a child is brought up by a single parent. Research done by Mary (2011) revealed that children with single parents might be more rebellious and aggressive. Experts argue that the behavior might be as a result of the humiliation and angst the children experience while growing up. In most countries, single mothers are unemployed and do not have a reliable source of income. Those who are employed do not enjoy the work benefits meant for single moms. This automatically lowers their social class and makes them vulnerable to various forms of social discrimination and exclusions. The lone mothers lose legal challenges involving the lone cap since they do not have legible forms of employment or pensions. There is also the issue of household income inequality. Kidger (2004) notes that the house allowances are not as effective as the policies on parental leave and childcare. Another analysis conducted showed that the universal credit scheme that is currently used to support single mothers is too low to guarantee the single parents a decent standard of living. Anyone who was brought up by a single parent or is a single parent knows that it is very hard to bring up the kids. Some people however, instead of appreciating their commitment and courage they express negative and damaging feelings on the single parents. Studies show that out of four single parents three have been stigmatized because of lacking a parenting partner. Another research indicated that 20% of the people living in cities believed that the single parenting stigma had increased in the media, the workplace and in the society in general (Gilham, 1997). Regardless of the fact that out of four families one family is brought up by a single parent studies showed that the single parents received negative comments. Others were denied tenancies or turned down for employment opportunities. At times the society can be very cruel to the single parents. The society might make single parents to feel insecure and humiliated. Single parents face a lot of difficulties when bring up their children as they face financial, social and emotional issues. Single parenting is not an ordinary form of parenting because the society is every judgmental on such matters and the family must be able to ignore the negative feeling. Most of the single parents are affected by emotional problems such as stress and anxiety and other behavioral distresses (Coleman&Cater, 2006). Financial strength might also be another factor which may bring emotional stress to the parent. Lacking a parenting partner means that a single parent must solely fulfill all the basic needs of a child. Children raised by single mothers feel abandoned and marginalized in school and at home. They feel angry, sad, confused and lonely and keep asking themselves why they do not have two parents just like their friends. There is a lot of negativity from the society and children as young as they may be, they may not know how to deal with the negativity. In situations where parents separate through a divorce the children may be devastated by the tragedy and feel guilty that may the reason why their parent’s marriage did not work. According to Bootstrap (2011), children who feel abandoned question their own self-worth and develop a low self -esteem. Most marginalized children have a lot of trust issues and tend to bottle up what they really feel instead of expressing their feelings freely. Ways of Discouraging Single Parenting The government has developed labor strategies that assist single mothers and put in place measures to minimize teenage pregnancies as an act of minimizing social exclusion. Massachusetts, for instance, offers outreach sexual related education programs in schools and state developed welfare programs to assist single mothers. Teenage pregnancy should be avoided at all cost because it has a lot of negative effects on their futures and health. The youth alliance believes that to successfully prevent early pregnancies the youth must have access to contraceptives, information and should be reminded of the bright future ahead of them. The media has a lot of impact on the morals of the youths; access to information will improve their knowledge on sexual matters and understand sexually related risks (Gillham, 1997). It is no longer a secret that young teens are usually sexually active therefore offering them contraceptives might be the best option to ensure early pregnancies are curbed. If the youths are informed that early parenthood might mess up with their goals and inspirations then they might think twice when indulging in sexual activities. Conclusion Factors such as unplanned pregnancies, custody battles, adoptions and preventable death should be prevented in whatever way to ensure children have respectable life styles and do not suffer as a result of the mistakes made by their parents. In a single parenthood both the parent and children suffer emotionally, financially and socially. In Situations where a parent lacks parental support then the whole family really suffers. Teenage pregnancy is the biggest problem when dealing with single parenting therefore proper measures have to be set up to ensure early pregnancies are avoided. There is also the need for the international communities to establish awareness campaigns globally. The campaigns will boost various youth programs meant to tackle teenage pregnancy issues. Those who are already single mothers should not be neglected; the government should continue supporting the less fortunate families to ensure equality in the society. References Bootstrap, H. (2002). Teen pregnancy: trends and lessons learned. The Guttmacher Report on Public Policy, 5(1). Retrieved February 16, 2015, from Cameron, S. V, and J. J. Heckman(1993).The Nonequivalence of High School Equivalents.Journal of Labor Economics, 11(l), 1-47. Retrieved from Coleman, L., & Cater, S. (2006) Planned teenage pregnancy: perspectives of young women from disadvantaged backgrounds in England. Journal of Youth Studies, 9(5), pp. 593 614.Retrieved from Gillham, B. (1997). The Facts about Teenage Pregnancies. London, Herndon, VA: Cassell. Retrieved from Kidger, J. (2004). Including Young Mothers: Limitations to New Labours Strategy for Supporting Teenage Parents. Critical Social Policy, 24(3), pp. 291-311. Retrieved from Wilson, H., & Huntington, A. (2006). Deviant (M) others: The Construction of Teenage Motherhood in Contemporary Discourse. Journal of Social Policy, 35(1), pp. 59-76. Retrieved from Read More