Although child poverty is becoming a national concern, many people don’t realize the root cause. This is the absence or presence of a married father in the home. It is well-known that children raised by both parents have a higher chance of success in school, future employment, and in their marriages than those who were raised by only one mom or dad. U.S. Census 2009 data shows that 37.1% of single parents had children. According to the U.S. Census, 6.8% of married couples had children in 2009. This shows that two-parent families have a lot more power than single parents. In situations where a parent is absent, this can lead to chaotic and unstable families.
The Washington Post has brought it to our attention. Kimberly Howard is reporting that Richard V. Reeves says that one reason this issue exists is that married families have higher household incomes. This is so significant because it may even be applicable to households with no children. It is easier to support and sustain two incomes than one. Octavia is constantly unhappy with her clothes. Her mother will make sure that she never wears clothes that don’t fit her, including the short pants that show off her ankles and the baggy dresses handed down from her cousin, Macon, Georgia. One day, she recalls the moment her dad came to visit her a year back. A surprise package was brought to her by her grandfather one summer. The bag contained school supplies as well as a sweater made with an itchy material. Her father is married and has a new family. His mother works the 11 to 7 night shift to make ends meet. Octavia lives across from her mother. This shows that money can be a major factor in a marriage. Octavia’s mother works the eleven to seven night shift to make ends meet and provide for her children. Aaron Hass writes, “Your child and you are both precious.” Your willingness sends a message that you care about your child. Referencing Octavia leaving Atlanta. Octavia rarely has to see her mother because her mother works shifts. They only have a brief encounter when Octavia arrives home from school. But, even then, she stays in her room alone. Octavia also gets late to school, and her mother slaps her on the face. She does not take the time for Octavia to explain. Hass says that Octavia experienced this crucially because her mother slapped her across the face when she finally made it home.
It is possible that single-parent families are more beneficial than married households, but this is not the case. The New York Times Sunday Review’s Katie Roiphe quotes: “A Pew Research Center poll shows that nearly 77% of Americans think single mothers make society less stable.” This statistic is from the United States, where 53% (of the children born to women below the age of 30) are unmarried mothers. She believed that the only thing that could oppress a child was the idea of what a family should look like or contain.
These studies are what are used to justify single mothers being irresponsible. Roiphe does not like these studies. She believes they tend collapse the complexity and implication real lived experience. Roiphe also believes people often lie to others. Family structure does not guarantee happiness and cannot prevent misery. Suffering can be found everywhere. Even financially stable parents can still raise unhappy, alcoholic, or lost children. Single parents can also raise healthy, strong, A-student children. Roiphe says that the real danger to America’s children comes not from single mothers, unmarried, gay parents or single fathers, but from an economy that encourages a unconscionable gap between the rich & the poor.
The conclusion is that two-parent households and marriage have a significant influence on a child’s life. Absence can lead to chaotic and unstable families. Children of married couples with two parents are typically born into better living conditions.
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