In Defense Of Single Parent Families

Dowd (law, U. of Florida) argues that the justifications for stigmatizing single-parent families are founded on myths used to rationalize harshly punitive social policies that hit children hardest. She says that many two-parent families in fact function as single-caregiving environments anyway, that the two kind of families have some unique and some common problems, that the failure or success of a family has little to do with its form, and that single-parent children often grow up with more admirable traits than their more conventional contemporaries. She looks hard at how the laws and other policies lay extra burdens on families, and recommends reforms. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Nonwhite and white, rich and poor, born to an unwed mother or weathering divorce, over half of all children in the current generation will live in a single-parent family--and these children simply will not fare as well as their peers who live with both parents. This is the clear and urgent message of this powerful book. Based on four national surveys and drawing on more than a decade of research, Growing Up with a Single Parent sharply demonstrates the connection between family structure and a child's prospects for success. What are the chances that the child of a single parent will graduate from high school, go on to college, find and keep a job? Will she become a teenage mother? Will he be out of school and out of work? These are the questions the authors pursue across the spectrum of race, gender, and class. Children whose parents live apart, the authors find, are twice as likely to drop out of high school as those in two-parent families, one and a half times as likely to be idle in young adulthood, twice as likely to become single parents themselves. This study shows how divorce--particularly an attendant drop in income, parental involvement, and access to community resources--diminishes children's chances for well-being. The authors provide answers to other practical questions that many single parents may ask: Does the gender of the child or the custodial parent affect these outcomes? Does having a stepparent, a grandmother, or a nonmarital partner in the household help or hurt? Do children who stay in the same community after divorce fare better? Their data reveal that some of the advantages often associated with being white are really a function of family structure, and that some of the advantages associated with having educated parents evaporate when those parents separate. In a concluding chapter, McLanahan and Sandefur offer clear recommendations for rethinking our current policies. Single parents are here to stay, and their worsening situation is tearing at the fabric of our society. It is imperative, the authors show, that we shift more of the costs of raising children from mothers to fathers and from parents to society at large. Likewise, we must develop universal assistance programs that benefit low-income two-parent families as well as single mothers. Startling in its findings and trenchant in its analysis, Growing Up with a Single Parent will serve to inform both the personal decisions and governmental policies that affect our children's--and our nation's--future.

Here is a comprehensive source of vital information on single parent families in contemporary society. This book analyzes literature and empirical research concerning single parent families and explores issues and challenges they face. Contributing authors from many fields and perspectives examine a broad range of subjects relating to families in which one person is primarily responsible for parenting. The only state-of-the-art compendium on the topic of single parent families available today, the book synthesizes empirical, theoretical, and contemporary literature about the diversity, myths, and realities of single parent families in western countries.Each chapter contains a demographic overview, definitions, a literature review, and implications for practice, research, education, and social policy. Theoretical and conceptual perspectives related to parenting and wider families are included. An analysis, synthesis, and commentary on single parent families concludes the volume. Themes highlighted throughout the book include socioeconomic and demographic characteristics of single parent families, cultural and ethnic features, and legal and ethical components. Some chapter topics include: single parenthood following divorce single parenthood following death of a spouse never married teen mothers and fathers female-headed homeless families adoptions by single parents noncustodial mothers and fathers grandparents as primary parents single parents of children with disabilitiesSingle Parent Families contains additional resources useful for family professionals: an annotated bibliography, a video/filmography, and a national community resource list. The book is intended for a multidisciplinary audience, including sociologists, psychologists, health care professionals, social workers, therapists, and other researchers, clinicians, policymakers, and educators. An ideal primary or reference text for undergraduate and graduate level programs, the book can also serve as a tool for staff development and continuing education in service agencies.

Single Parents offers an overview of this growing phenomenon, the problems faced by single-parent families, and their impact on society. Topics include men and women as single parents, single-mother families and poverty, the legal system and single parents, gay and lesbian parents, moral issues, and the effects of growing up in a single-parent family. The experiences of single parents in other countries are also discussed. This volume lists numerous resources, among them federal government programs; state statutes concerning child custody and adoption; private and public organizations; a guide to literature, films and videos; and information on the Internet.

A groundbreaking collection of writings on the growing phenomenon of single-parent families in the United States, and how it impacts society as a whole. Focus on Single-Parent Families: Past, Present, and Future brings together in one volume a range of cutting-edge research articles and essays on what has become the most dynamic change in family structure in U.S. history. It is the only resource to make the most insightful and important work being done on the single-parent family phenomena accessible to general readers. Focus on Single-Parent Families helps readers go beyond the stereotypes and look closely at the complexity of families with one parent and consider their place in society. It encompasses the wide variety of households with a single parent—a family structure that promises to continue to grow and diversify. Throughout, the book gauges the impact of the increasing number of single-parent families on the nation as a whole, particularly in regard to policies concerning family welfare, children's services and health care, schools, and other essential social institutions.

One in three American households with children under the age of 18 is now headed by a single parent. Kennedy (formerly of Sesame Street magazine) and King (of Working Parents) offer advice on a wide range of issues, from the importance of making time for yourself to the practical details of household management.

Maybe you've heard the statistics about children growing up in single-parent families. According to a lot of the research, these kids are more likely to struggle in school, have difficulties with the law, and deal with drug and alcohol abuse-along with other problems. But does growing up with a single parent have to mean these things will happen? Are these children going to lead worse lives than those with two parents? This book tells the stories of several single-parent families, their struggles, and the things they have learned from their situations. These families are not concerned with the statistics, but with making their families and themselves the best they can be.

Clinicians, social service providers, and professionals in associated fields often face issues related to diverse family structures--particularly the one-parent family. Unfortunately, current family-centered literature does not devote a great deal of space to intervention and assessment of these families who now comprise a quarter of all families. In Single-Parent Families, special treatment methods for single-parent families based on such factors as gender of the head of household, ethnicity, age, and sexual orientation are discussed. The authors devote special attention to interventions with mother-headed households--nearly 90 percent of single-parent families are managed by women today--and emphasize the importance of social policies and services that help single parents meet the challenging dual roles of caregiving and wage earning. Clearly written and gender sensitive, Single-Parent Families provides concrete, practical suggestions on how to better empower single parents to obtain the resources they need to attain their aspirations and gain control over their environment. Both professionals and students of social services, counseling, psychology, family studies, and gender studies will find this volume informative, helpful, and above all, useful. ""The book is an excellent addition to literature on family-centered practice. It is written in a clear and concise manner, with helpful topical headings. . . . Highly recommended for students and practitioners in social work, counseling, and other related disciplines." --Choice "Kissman and Allen have created a brief book rich with insight into the complexities of single-parent family life. . . . This book is written by and primarily for practitioners working in a therapeutic setting with single-parent families. However, the perspective presented by this book could well be important and appreciated by family life educators, researchers, and other non-clinical professionals interested in single-parent families." --Family Relations