During the past 25 years the proportion of children living in families headed by women has more than doubled from 1 in 10 to 1 in 5, leaving most single parent homes in financial jeopardy. Concern about this trend stems from the fact that these families are much more likely to be poor or to experience sharp drops in income than other families and from a belief (and some evidence) that the children of single parents are less likely to be successful as adults than those who grow up in 2-parent homes.
Due to their American Dilemma, and financial problems these single low income families (in more cases than not, “mothers”) are reaching out for support of our government. But due to intense debate, the government’s public assistance to women with children is now being called into question, meaning their only help has been debated on getting taken from them. Although such assistance improves their economic position and enables them to stay home with their children, anti-supporters argue that it also “fosters long-term welfare dependence and may encourage or marital instability or out-of-wedlock births.” In summary, single parent homes command high wages to get their families out of poverty, and without this help, many of them would not be able to survive.
Some may ask “What do low income single mothers say about marriage?” This article “What do low income, single mothers say about marriage?” briefly summarizes a study that talks about the qualitative data from “292 low-income” single mothers in three U.S. cities. These interviews reveal five primary motivations for non-marriage among low-income single mothers. Most mothers agree that potential marriage partners must earn significantly more than the minimum wage, but also agree upon the importance of stability of employment (being able to keep a job for a sustained amount of time), source of earnings ( how much you actually get a pay check) and the effort men expend to find and keep their jobs( are they ‘work A holics’ or just there until the day pasts. “Mothers place equal or greater emphasis on non-monetary factors such as how marriage may diminish or enhance respectability, how it may limit their control over household decisions,