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| Estimated Number of Printed Pages: 14
TOPICS COVERED: Single parenting is a strain in every direction. On a good day, you can fret about being “untraditional” and worry whether your children’s lives might be better; on a bad day, you come face to face with the brutal economics of being both the provider and the nurturer, and you worry whether your children will eat tonight, or who will watch them when work requires you to stay late unexpectedly.
But when single parenting gets reported, distinctions are rarely made between being truly all by yourself, or co-parenting with an ex, or being unmarried but living with someone, or being unmarried but in a steady relationship. These distinctions shake out quite differently the world around.
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| " [S]ociological studies show that, at least in some [Western European] countries . . . single motherhood is only a temporary, transitional stage in the union formation. Many unmarried mothers, in other words, are not necessarily to be considered as lone parents. Single motherhood by choice, more particularly among older, better-educated, working women, also seems to be on the rise . . . , but this phenomenon is not yet well documented. Contrary to all the former categories of one-parent families, widowed lone-parent families are, as a result of decreases in mortality, strongly declining." 1.
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| "As the divorce rate soared after 1960, three other major trends started to emerge that were part of the 20th century's transformation in pair-bonding in the Western world: the rate of marriage decreased, while the rates of cohabitation without marriage and nonmarital births increased . . . . This nonmarital birthrate increase is particularly impressive because it occurred at the same time that women in the West had more contraceptive choice than ever before in the history of the human species." 2.
26 percent
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| of U.S. children under the age of 18 lived in a single-parent home. 3.
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| In the U.S. and Western Europe, "It is likely that the frequency of one-parent families, at least as a transitional family stage in the life course, will increase or remain high. These families are highly vulnerable, since most are headed by women, whose social position is still relatively weaker than that of men. These women have to cope with the existing incompatibilities between gainful employment and family life, especially child care." 4.
12 percent
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| of U.S. children in single parent families with householders who had at least a bachelor’s degree, compared with 9 percent of children living with neither parent and 30 percent of children living in a married-couple family. 5.
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| U.S. Hispanic Female-Householders –
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| Between 1850 and 1880, between 25 and 38 percent of Spanish-surnamed households in Los Angeles, California, Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Tucson, Arizona were headed by women – when just four to nine percent of White Non-Hispanic households had a female head. This was due to a high mortality rate for Mexican-American men – twice that of women. 6.
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| In 2000, 17.3 percent of Hispanic households had a female head, compared to 11.8 percent of the total population. 7.
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| Number of U.S. male-maintained family households with no wife present: that’s 4.2 percent all households. 8.
19.2 percent
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| of American children live with single mothers in 2002, down from 21.5 percent in 1997. 9.
About 70 percent
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| of American single mothers were employed in March and April 2003, down from nearly 75 percent at the end of 2000. 10.
12 percent
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| of U.S. family households are female-maintained with no husband present. That hasn't changed for the past 15 years. 11.
Four percent
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| of U.S. family households are male-maintained with no wife present – a one percent increase since 1990. 12.
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| From 1970 to 2000, both the number of male-maintained family households and female-maintained family households both with no spouse present increased, but the number of single-mother households was more than double that of male-headed single parent households. 13.
28 percent
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| of British families with children were lone parent families in 2004. 14.
One in four
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| U.K. children lived in lone-parent families in 2004. That is more than triple the percent in 1972, when just one in 17 children lived in a lone-parent family. 15.
Over 40 percent
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| of families with kids in areas of London are lone parent families -- double the UK average. 16.
13 percent
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| of all British families were lone-parent families in 2002, compared to British-Caribbean households of which were 42 percent were lone-parent, British Indians’s 9 percent , British Pakistanis’ 12 percent , and British Bangladeshis’ 13 percent. 17.
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| In the U.K., in 2001, it became legal to register unmarried men as fathers of their children. Registration gives these men full responsibility as parents – the right to be involved in decisions about the child’s education, health and living arrangements. 18.
Nine percent
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| of all lone mothers in Britain between 1991-1993 continued to live with their parents. 16 percent of never-married mothers continued to live with their parents. 19.
30 percent
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| of all Spanish lone mothers with children under age 18 lived with their own mothers in 1991, as did slightly less than half of all mothers with children under six. 20.
14 percent
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| of all Australian families in 2003 were one parent families (799,800). 21.
19.9 percent
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| of Australian Children under 15 were living in single-parent homes in 2003. 22.
53 percent
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| The increase in the number of one-parent families in Australia from 1986 and 2001. That is over 14 times the growth in the number of couple families with children (which increased by just three percent.). 23.
2.5 percent
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| of Australian families with children under 15 are headed by a single-father. 24.
19.3 percent
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| of Australian families with children under 15 are headed by a single-mother. 25.
14 percent
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| of all Australian families in 2003 who were one parent families (799,800). 26.
22 percent
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| of all Australian families with children aged 0-17 are one parent families. 27.
83 percent
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| of Australian lone parents in 2001 were female (635,100) compared to 17 percent male (127,500). 28.
31 percent
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| of babies born in Australia in 2001 were born to unmarried mothers. 29.
35 percent
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| of Australian lone parents of children aged 0-17 years, who reported that they had never married. 30.
10 percent
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| of households in the U.K. were single-parent families in 1998. 31.
10 percent
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| of Jewish Israeli households are single-parent families. 32.
11 percent
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| of households in Ireland contain single parents with children. 33.
22 percent
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| of households in South Africa were single-parent families in 1998. 34.
20 percent
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| of households in Sri Lanka are female-headed. That's the highest proportion of female-headed households in South Asia, "mainly due to the existing political unrest. Consequently a significant number of young widows have emerged as female heads of households. A note worthy feature of female headed households is that the majority are widowed women, and the average size of their households are comparatively small." 35.
44.7 percent
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| of households in Jamaica were female-headed in 2001. St. Lucia and Haiti had similar rates – 42.8 percent and 42.7 percent, respectively. 36.
10 percent
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| of households in Trinidad and Tobago are headed by single mothers. 37.
8.6 percent
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| of all families with children under 18 years of age in Spain were single parent families in 1990-1991. 38.
11.9 percent
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| of all families with children under 18 years of age in France were single parent families in 1990-1991. 39.
15.7 percent
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| of all families with children under 18 years of age in Germany were single parent families in 1990-1991. 40.
16.8 percent
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| of all families with children under 18 years of age in Canada were single parent families in 1990-1991. 41.
18.1 percent
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| of all families with children under 18 years of age in the Netherlands were single parent families in 1990-1991. 42.
22.3 percent
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| of all families with children under 18 years of age in Sweden were single parent families in 1990-1991. 43.
23.5 percent
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| Children growing up in a single-parent family are twice as likely to have a child before the age of 20 than those raised in a two-parent family. 45.
One and a half times as likely
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| Children growing up in a single-parent family are one and a half times as likely to be out of school and out of work in their late teens and early 20s as those who grow up in a two-parent family. 46.
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| When single moms work evenings, only slightly more than 35 percent eat with their children at least five days a week. 47.
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| Children who live with only one parent or with a parent and stepparent, experience more disadvantages in terms of psychological functioning, behavioral problems, education, and health. 48.
It's five times as likely
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| for U.S. children in mother-only family groups to be in poverty as children living in married-couple family groups: 39 percent of children in mother-only groups are in poverty while eight percent of married-couple families are in poverty. 49.
53.3 percent
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| of U.S. mothers without present spouses (married without spouse, separated, divorced, widowed or never married ) are in the labor force. 50.
$25,500
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| is the median family income for U.S. female householders with no husband present. That is about half the income of all families and less than half of married-couple families. And, adjusting for inflation, it's also less than the median family income of married-couple families in 1969 ($39,800). 51.
55.4 percent
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| of U.S. families maintained by men without spouses are homeowners, compared with about half (49.6 percent) of those maintained by women without spouses." 52.
28.0 percent – 3.9 million –
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| of the households in the U.S. with a female-householder and no-husband present families are in poverty – compared to just 5.5 percent of married-couple families. 53.
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| More of them – and they're worse off –
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| While the number of single-mother families has grown dramatically, so has the gap between their incomes and those of married-couple families. "From 1969 to 1999, the income gap between [U.S.] families maintained by women with no husband present and married-couple families widened. During that time, [U.S.] families maintained by women with no husband present had a smaller percentage increase in median income (32 percent) than that of married-couple families (44 percent)." 54.
52.6 percent
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| of related U.S. children under six who live in families with female householders with no husband present were in poverty in 2004, about five times the rate of their counterparts in married couple families (10.1 percent). 55.
13.5 percent
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| of the households in the U.S. with a male-householder and no-wife present families in the U.S. are in poverty. That's much less than the rate for single mothers, but still more than twice the rate for married-couple families. 56.
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| of U.S. children living with a single mother lived in poverty in 1994. 57.
16.7 percent
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| of U.S. children living with single parents lived in poverty in 1994. 58.
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| " . . . over half (63 percent) of all [U.K.] lone parents live in poverty. In fact, the government presents the increase in the number of these families, which has taken place over the past 20 years, as one of the major reasons for the growth in child poverty." 59.
63 percent
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| of U.K. lone parents live in poverty. The British government believes that the increase in single parent households over the past 20 years has been one of the major reasons for the growth in child poverty. 60.
45 percent
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| of poor children in the U.K. live in a one parent family. 61.
40.3 percent
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| of British children living with a single mother lived in poverty in 1995, compared to 17.5 percent of those living in a two-parent family. 62.
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| In the U.K., "data concerning household expenditure shows that the average weekly spending by lone parent families is less than half of the amount spent by two-parent households, and even lower than some pensioner couples. And, it seems that although they are more likely to spend a greater proportion of their income on food than higher income families, the actual amount is far less in real terms." 63.
14 percent
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| British households of single parent families had incomes that were below half-the average income. That is almost twice the rate of the total population (eight percent). 64.
47 percent
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| of British single mothers were employed in the mid 1990s. 65.
42 percent
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| of British single mothers were employed in the end of the 1970s. 66.
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| In the U.K., "the proportion of employed lone mothers actually fell between the end of the 1970s and the mid 1990s (from 47 percent to 42 percent ), and although there has been some increase more recently, the majority of these women still do not work outside the home." 67.
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| In the U.K., "researchers argued that the main ‘barrier’ to employment for mothers continues to be the lack of affordable, good quality childcare in the UK, and that this had a significant impact on their choices. Furthermore, a report from the Daycare Trust also highlighted how the cost and shortage of childcare restricts employment options for many women, and especially those from minority ethnic backgrounds, lone mothers, the less well qualified and mothers of disabled children." 68.
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| "In the ECHP [European Community Household Panel], the poverty line is considered to be 60 percent of the METI [household total mean income]. In Spain, 19 percent of all persons are below this line. However, the proportion is 33 percent among those living in a household formed by a single parent with dependent children, and 28 percent in those with two adults and three or more dependent children. If the incidence of poverty is close to average, the financial situation of Spanish households is well below the average for the countries studied in the ECHP, with 67 percent living in households with difficulties making ends meet – a proportion clearly higher than the average (49 percent ). Another 65 percent live in households unable to save regularly, also above average (59 percent ); and 38 percent live in households that cannot afford three or more basic necessities (average 21 percent )." 69.
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| In Greece, "single-parent families carry a greater burden in terms of income but not in terms of consumption, probably because of informal support networks." 70.
11 percent
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| of all households in Ireland consisted of lone parents with children in 1996. 71.
47 percent
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| of single Irish parents of children under five years old were employed in 2001. 72.
AUS$412
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| "The median weekly income of lone parents with children aged 0-17 years. . . less than half the income of parents in couple families with children ($1,167 per week). In 2003, 58 percent of lone parents received a government pension, benefit or allowance as their main source of income compared to 8 percent of couples with children aged 0-17 years." 73.
58 percent
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| of Australian lone parents received a government pension, benefit or allowance as their main source of income in 2003 – compared to eight percent of couples with children aged 0-17 years. 74.
Almost 50 percent
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| of single parents in Finland work. 75.
31.0 percent
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| of Russian children living with a single mother lived in poverty in 1995, compared to 26.0 percent of those living in a two-parent family. 76.
26.6 percent
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| of Israeli children living with a single mother lived in poverty in 1992, compared to 14.0 percent of those living in a two-parent family. 77.
25.4 percent
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| of French children living with a single mother lived in poverty in 1989, compared to 7.7 percent of those living in a two-parent family. 78.
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| " . . . Divorced in East and Southeastern Asia women with dependent children face serious constraints as single parents and as breadwinners particularly when they lack marketable skills that could secure them a job . . . . " 79.
15.2 percent
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| of Taiwanese children with a single mother lived in poverty in 1995, compared to just 5.1 percent of those living in a two-parent family. 80.
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| 1. Robert Cliquet, "Major Trends Affecting Families In the New Millennium – Western Europe and North America," Major Trends Affecting Families: A Background Document, Report for United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Division for Social Policy and Development, Program on the Family (2003), p. 6 (citation omitted). Archived at: http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/family/Publications/mtcliquet.pdf
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| 4. Robert Cliquet, "Major Trends Affecting Families In the New Millennium – Western Europe and North America," Major Trends Affecting Families: A Background Document, Report for United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Division for Social Policy and Development, Program on the Family (2003), p. 26. Archived at: http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/family/Publications/mtcliquet.pdf
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| 5. Terry Lugaila and Julia Overturf, Children and the Households They Live In: 2000, U.S. Census 2000 Special Reports, CENSR-14. U.S. Census Bureau, Washington, DC (2004), p. 14. Archived at: http://www.census.gov/prod/2004pubs/censr-14.pdf
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| 6. ________, "Family Structures," Encyclopedia of American Social History. 3 vols. Charles Scribner's Sons, Reproduced in the History Resource Center, Farmington Hills, MI: Gale Group. Archived at: http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/HistRC Document No. BT2313027032 (1993).
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| 8. Tavia Simmons and Grace O'Neill, Households and Families: 2000, U.S. Census 2000 Brief, C2KBR/01-8. U.S. Census Bureau, Washington, DC (2001), p. 2. Archived at: http://www.census.gov/prod/2001pubs/c2kbr01-8.pdf; and Reneé Spraggins, We the People: Women and Men in the United States, Census 2000 Special Report, CENSR-20. U.S. Census Bureau, Washington, DC (2005), p. 8. Archived at: http://www.census.gov/prod/2005pubs/censr-20.pdf
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| 9. Gregory Acs and Sandi Nelson, The More Things Change? Children's Living Arrangements since Welfare Reform, "Snapshots of America's Families III" No. 10, The Urban Institute (October 06, 2003). Archived at: http://www.urban.org/url.cfm?ID=310859
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| 10. Robert I. Lerman,"How Did the 2001 Recession Affect Single Mothers?," Single Parent's Earning Monitor, No. 3, Urban Institute (January 12, 2005). Available at: http://www.urban.org/url.cfm?ID=311128
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| 11. Reneé Spraggins, We the People: Women and Men in the United States, Census 2000 Special Report, CENSR-20. U.S. Census Bureau, Washington, DC (2005), p. 8. Archived at: http://www.census.gov/prod/2005pubs/censr-20.pdf Table 55, "Parents and Children in Stay-At-Home Parent Family Groups:1995 to 2004,"________, Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2006 (125th Edition), U.S. Census Bureau, Washington, DC (2005)(p. 52) citing U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Reports, P20-537, and earlier reports; and ‘‘America’s Families and Living Arrangements: 2004’’; published 29 June 2005; <http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/hh-fam/cps2004.html>. Archived at: http://www.census.gov/prod/www/statistical-abstract.html
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| 12. Reneé Spraggins, We the People: Women and Men in the United States, Census 2000 Special Report, CENSR-20. U.S. Census Bureau, Washington, DC (2005), p. 8. Archived at: http://www.census.gov/prod/2005pubs/censr-20.pdf Table 55, "Parents and Children in Stay-At-Home Parent Family Groups:1995 to 2004,"________, Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2006 (125th Edition), U.S. Census Bureau, Washington, DC (2005)(p. 52) citing U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Reports, P20-537, and earlier reports; and ‘‘America’s Families and Living Arrangements: 2004’’; published 29 June 2005; <http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/hh-fam/ | | |
