In Today’s society, while the majority of single parent houses involve the woman, a growing 24 percent of fathers make up single parent households. This notion is contrary to popular belief that the woman is almost always left with the child/childcare responsibilities, and this 24 percent is continuing to rise steadily. This leads to the question of what constitutes a man to be a single father, “The term single father includes men in a variety of family circumstances. About half (52%) are separated, divorced, widowed or never married and are living without a cohabiting partner; some (41%) are living with a non-marital partner; and a small amount (7%) are married but living apart from their spouse. (Livingston, 2013)”
The decline of the principle of marriage, involved with the decreased social stigma that splitting up leaves, have both helped increase the rate of single father and mother households. Another big reason for the one parent household would be the obvious childbirths out of marriage which is seen as common place in today’s society. Slowly but surely, there is a gradual increase of the caregiving role of fathers as society changes its views on social norms and roles. Financially speaking, the single father households are overall better off than the average single mother household, which leads to discussion about differences in pay for similar job descriptions. In a one parent household, money is something that can definitely make caring for a child harder/easier depending on one’s financial situation.
Similar to single mother households, single father households are more likely to be less educated males, younger, and a higher likelihood of being a minority. The role of a father will continue to change, A Tale of Two Fathers (Parker, 2011) discusses the importance of being a good father and what that constitutes. The National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG) spends time investigating these issues between marriage and divorce and the effects that it can have on children.
The decline of the principle of marriage, involved with the decreased social stigma that splitting up leaves, have both helped increase the rate of single father and mother households. Another big reason for the one parent household would be the obvious childbirths out of marriage which is seen as common place in today’s society. Slowly but surely, there is a gradual increase of the caregiving role of fathers as society changes its views on social norms and roles. Financially speaking, the single father households are overall better off than the average single mother household, which leads to discussion about differences in pay for similar job descriptions. In a one parent household, money is something that can definitely make caring for a child harder/easier depending on one’s financial situation.
Similar to single mother households, single father households are more likely to be less educated males, younger, and a higher likelihood of being a minority. The role of a father will continue to change, A Tale of Two Fathers (Parker, 2011) discusses the importance of being a good father and what that constitutes. The National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG) spends time investigating these issues between marriage and divorce and the effects that it can have on children.