Single+Mothers+and+Poverty

__Single Mothers and Poverty__

Single mothers are the most common group of people to be found living in poverty. Although more single mothers are working today than in the past, they are still unable to earn enough money to put them over the poverty threshold. This is because, “low wages, less than steady full-time work, and an inadequate system of supplemental income support combine to produce high rates of poverty in families headed by employed single mothers” (Jones).

Lack of higher education is a large contributor to the number of single mothers living in poverty. Many of today’s impoverished women had not graduated from high school. NEA Today says, “Without a diploma, the girls… are more likely to rely on Medicaid or other public assistance” (NEA Today). A large number of the girls do not finish high school because of pregnancy. In one particular study from 2010, “79% of poor and 55% of near-poor women had no schooling after high school” (Braveman 4). Post high school education is almost a must for staying out of poverty, especially when there is no other earner for the family. These single mothers start out with an immediate disadvantage no diploma, no job, and no major income. These women must now rely on government assistance, which is still not enough to pull them out of poverty.

Even with a high school diploma it is still difficult to find a job that pays enough to support the both the mother and her child/children. A study in 1994 found that, “44 percent of single-mother families were poor, compared with 8 percent of married-couple families with children” (Hartmann). This shows how much more difficult it is for one person to earn enough money to support a family compared to two. Part of reason for this is that it is not possible for one person to go to work, and care for a small child. Children of a young age need some sort of attention nearly 24 hours a day. This kind of attention cannot be given from a single working mother. An already impoverished mother will most likely not be able to afford daycare or a sitter. How can a single mother earn enough money to support a family and care for her children at the same time?

__Finding assistance__:

There are a number of different programs that help single mothers living in poverty find success. The types of assistance vary greatly; these include free government support phones, educational grants, welfare benefits, housing opportunities, women’s shelters, and counseling. These services and assistances are both government and privately sponsored programs. The programs have helped many women in the past and continue to help in the present.

One example of government sponsored program is the Utah System of Higher Education. Recently they started giving financial aid assistance to single mothers who wish to go back to school. This includes high school drop outs, who would like to earn their GED, and adults who wish to earn a college degree. Utah is not the only state to help single mothers go back to, and finish school.

On both the state and national level grants are given out to people, who would like to pursue a higher education, each year. Often people must fill out applications to receive a grant. The applications are reviewed and given out to select individuals based on financial need and eligibility. There are even specific grants for single mothers. [|EducationGrant.com] gives information on these specific grants and other great information.

There are many other many other organizations that provide aid for single mothers. [|The Sunshine Lady Foundation], “invests in organizations and programs dedicated to providing opportunities for the advancement of education, well being and new life choices for disadvantaged people with special empathy for the working poor and families in crisis” (Sunshine Lady Foundation). [|Our Family our future] is an organization that helps provide healthcare to families who cannot afford it. There are also food stamp programs, [|temporary assistance for needy families], [|children's health insurance programs] , and reduced school meal programs.

There are many different organization helping single mothers. These programs vary greatly from grants for higher education to daycare assistance. If a person is in need, she is capable of finding some of the help she needs without too much trouble. Most of the private organizations require donations to keep them available to the women in need. A donation can be made directly on a programs website, or by mailing a check to a given address depending on the specific organization.

Single Mother Statistics:

There are many impoverished single mothers trying to support themselves and their children in the United States alone. In 1995 there was an estimated 7.6 million single mothers living on an income of less than $20,000 per year. While only 1.5 million single mothers had an income of over $40,000 in that same year (U.S. Department of Commerce). In 2009 the US census showed that single mothers living in poverty had dropped to 4.4 million (Congressional Digest 3).

__Children of Single Mothers__:

Often children growing up under a single mother, especially an impoverished single mother, have a lifelong disadvantage. According to one study, “children in two-parent families have better cognitive and behavioral outcomes than children from single-parent families” (Taylor 470). Single-parent children with poor cognitive and behavioral outcomes may find themselves in trouble more often in school and with other authorities. Often the children who are consistently in trouble never grow out of that and find themselves in trouble for the rest of their lives. They tend to be involved with drugs, gangs, and criminal activity. Children of single-mothers are, “typically [less] advantaged in terms of family income, home environment, and maternal characteristics such as education level” (Taylor 470). When living in poverty families are forced to make sacrifices. Families not living in poverty do not need to make these sacrifices, which means the children of poor single-mothers cannot live a normal childhood. Not living a normal childhood can cause negative effects later in life, especially for families who have to sacrifice education. Gaining a higher education could make a difference for the poor children to grow up and live above the poverty line as an adult. Although, if the children cannot afford education they may live the rest of their lives in poverty.

General health of single-mother children is not as good as children living in other situations. A study shows that, “children in single-mother families had poorer health status than children living with two biological parents” (Bramlett 554). The mother may not be able to afford healthcare for her children if she is working a low paying job. Also the low paying job has a good chance of not including any healthcare benefits. Not only does the mother not have enough money for healthcare, but she must pay for it in full. In fact, “health insurance coverage data for children show that children living with two biological parents are more likely than other children to have private health insurance” (Bramlett 555). Another reason for poor healthcare amongst children of single-mothers is the mother being too busy to notice signs of illness before it is too late. Also these children may not have access to proper hygiene, or were never taught how to take care of themselves properly, things such as brushing teeth, washing hands, or using clean dishes before eating. There are many factors that can lead to children of single-mothers to live in poor health.

__Works Cited__ Bramlett, M. D., and S. J. Blumberg. "Family Structure And Children's Physical And Mental Health."//Health Affairs// 26.2 (2007): 549-58. // Ebsco Host //. Web. 27 Apr. 2011. .

Braveman, Paula. "Poverty, Near-Poverty, and Hardship Around the Time of Pregnancy." // Maternal & Child Health Journal // 14.1 (2010): 20-35. // Academic Search Premiere //. Web. 27 Apr. 2011. 

"Census Brief." // U.S. Census Bureau //. Web. 27 Apr. 2011. .

// Department of Commerce //. 27 Apr. 2011. Web. 27 Apr. 2011. .

// Financial Help For Single Moms | Grants For Single Mothers, Loan Help, Debt Help, State Assistance //. Web. 27 Apr. 2011. .

Hartmann, Heidi. "Poverty Alleviation and Single-mother Families." // National Forum // 76.3 (1996): 24. // Ebsco Host //. Web. 27 Apr. 2011. .

Jones, David R. "Single Mothers Struggle to Make Work Pay." New York Amsterdam News 93.38 (2002): 2-5. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 6 Apr. 2011. .

Livengood, Carolyn. // The Sunshine Lady Foundation //. Web. 27 Apr. 2011. .

Taylor, Zoe. "Life Stress, Maternal Optimism, and Adolescent Competence in Single Mother, African American Families." // Journal of Family Psychology // 24.4 (2010): 468-77. // Ebsco Host //. Web. 27 Apr. 2011. .

"Where the Girls Aren't." // NEA Today // 26.5 (2008): 16. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 6 Apr. 2011.