In the United States, the so-called “nuclear family” is still considered the typical American family unit. However, in recent years the colloquial definition of a family has become more inclusive and accepting of those made up of gay parents, interracial parents, single parents, and even those who choose not to have children. Despite the general upward movement in positivity towards these different groups, a recent Pew Research poll has come to show that a good majority of Americans (approximately 70%) believe that one of these is inherently “bad for society”: single mothers (Conan 2011). This kind of attitude is not new, either; single mothers have continuously been viewed by society as lacking or incompetent, looked upon with disdain, ridiculed, and are often even cast aside by their own families. This stigma attached so firmly to these single mothers hurts deeper and more painfully than just as an emotional blow. Poverty is a huge concern for single mothers, and one could argue that society’s attitude towards single mothers is one of the root causes of this. The stigma against single mothers should be eradicated because it is largely based on misinformation, and single mothers already have to deal with blatant sexism and racism in the United States. To generate sympathy for these mothers and create a more welcoming society towards “alternative” family types such as theirs, an advertising campaign should be taken up to show the struggles these women go through along with
“With what price we pay for the glory of motherhood” (Isadora Duncan). In Defense of Single Motherhood, by Katie Roiphe, is an essay arguing why being a single mother is better than the traditional two parent method. Although Rophie has a moderate expression of ethos, her poor use of logos, and her struggle with pathos concludes this is a weak argument.
“America’s working single mothers: An Appreciation” by LeBron James is a tribute to his hardworking single mother Gloria James. Gloria James has LeBron James at the age of 16 and was single handedly on her own. They lived in poverty because Gloria James was “Lacking any support, and the skills and education necessary to get ahead” (James) making their life extremely hard. Gloria James like every other hardworking and devoted single mother tried her hardest every day to support and provide for her child.
As stated in an article by Kimi Kennedy entitled “Television: The Ideal American Family,” most American families portrayed on television in the late ‘40s and early ‘50s consisted of “a husband, wife and 2.5 kids” (Kennedy). In Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman, the Loman family seems to perfectly fit the mold of a family living the American dream; however, the actions of the family show that everything is not what it seems. Although the Lomans appear to be the ideal family of the time, the way in which the family treats each other directly contrast with other fictional families of the time.
Edin and Lein wanted to discover the surviving strategies of single mothers who are on welfare or work on a low-waged job. They argue “neither welfare nor low wage work gives single mothers enough income to meet their families’ expenses” (253). To find out the set of survival strategies of single mothers to make ends meet Edin and Lein interviewed 379 low income single mothers. They chose their interviewees from different cities, different aged group, and different ethnic background. Most mothers who are on welfare wanted to find a job and be out of the welfare but the primary problem that single mothers face was that “family economics”. With the minimum wage income it was impossible for the single mothers to bring the ends meet. Neither working nor being on welfare was enough to survive therefore mothers who are on welfare supported their budget by generating substantial supplementary income. Edin and Lein states that “welfare recipients generated extra income by working at side jobs, obtaining cash from network members, community groups and local charities”. They also get cash help from the family members, child’s fathers, and from a boyfriend. Because they were afraid to lose welfare benefits they did not tell anyone about the extra income they have. To survive they needed both the welfare benefits and the extra income. It was very difficult to establish a trust with the interviewees in the beginning because they were afraid if they talk about it they might lose the
This essay, The Myth of the Model American Family, is a discussion of the concept of an ideal family in the different perspective specifically social, cultural and economic. This is also an attempt to identify the structural changes in relation to the global development and the international economic crisis that immensely created impact on their lives. However, the discussion will limit itself on the different identifiable and observable transformations as manifested in the lifestyles, interrelationships and views of family members and will not seek to provide an assessment of their psycho-social and individual perceptions.
The period immediately following the Second World War was a time of great anxiety in the United States. Although the Germans had been defeated after many long years of war and much sacrifice and loss, the rise of the Soviet Union and the beginning of the Cold War caused Americans great apprehension. However, Americans responded with an increased focus on domesticity and strove to make the family the centerpiece of American culture. In doing so, they hoped to counter the Soviet Union and its policies of egalitarianism, particularly the equality of women in all aspects of society.
In the United States, there are approximately 10 million single mothers leading a family on their own (“ Single Mom Statistics: Surprising Facts & Figures of Today’s Single Mother”). Having a father in the home, can have numerous benefits to a child’s development.
Single parents have been criticized since the beginning times of early settlers and their negative backlash has deep roots in American culture. Even before the American government was established, early settlers borrowed ideas from England to create settlements laws and colonial poor laws in the 17th century to punish women who didn’t have husbands and mothers whom unfortunately were not part of a marriage. The sole purpose early settlers established these laws were to punish women who committed adultery or fornication. Men too, were held accountable for children born out of wedlock. These laws remained in effect throughout the early colonial times. Centuries later when Ronald Reagan became president the laws took drastic changes and it was during the Reagan’s presidential era, that one cannot help, but to notice the drastic social changes that occurred during the 1970s and 1980s. Fundamental roles and social changes created a concern for how people view the conservative ideology in the United States with emphasize on single parents’, especially women. Adding to the concerns, an increase in single mothers, teenage pregnancy, divorce rates caused the government to cut back on public programs such as, Medicaid, food stamps, maternal and child health services. The president himself labeled women of low income communities as “welfare queens.” Due to the government’s decision to cut back on public programs, consequently an
Through the years the definition of family structure has drastically changed. Today, over fifteen million children under the age of fifteen live with single mothers, while some three million live with single fathers (Family Structure). The "Leave it to Beaver" family is no longer the standard, and several variations on family have been created (Blessing). Society needs to accept the new definition of family structure to include single-parent families, same-sex marriage, divorce, and adoption through passing regulations and laws that prohibit state and local governments from discriminating against people based on their sexual orientation. Society does not accept this new definition and resources are not approved to help the new categories
Single mothers are usually portrayed in film and television programs as being weak and needing something to be dependent, usually on a man. Five single mothers in the film The Single Moms Club come together to support each other in areas that are their strong suit. These women in this film do carry the gender roles that are put on women, as well as break many of the gender roles. I will be focusing on three out of the five women in this film. These three women all share the same gender role theme of being a caregiver. Each of these women have their own stories, different backgrounds and gender roles that they represent, and some break the roles of being
Australian society face solidarity and Division: Sole Parent Families are living on the edge of poverty, with predictions of a 65% increase of sole parent families by 2036, Why are so many Australian sole parent families living so close to or below the calculated poverty line?
Though it is a very long nonfiction book, I found myself unable to put it down. I cried a lot and literally laughed out loud while reading this book, and found myself extremely emotionally connected to Kunte Kinte. This book did meet and exceed my expectations. It was vey painful for me to read, yet I am beyond grateful that I was recommended to read it. The story-telling was so descriptive, it put a weight on my heart and made me think and contemplate about the book even when I was not reading it. I think the author did everything perfectly, and I have no critiques. I would like to thank the author for such an amazing historical account and piece of literature.
Growing up in today’s society, are the youth still retaining the same values? Are they aware of current events and the difference between what they should do and what they want to do? With every passing year, society seems to move at a faster pace where families do not find time to sit and talk to each other. It is a more and more rare occurrence when children get to see their parents. Dinner tables now contain unhealthy fast food and family outings are a long lost memory. A mother is responsible for strengthening the roots of the child so that they bloom into productive and responsible individuals. But what if mothers do not monitor their children’s activities? Does it always lead to them being weak in aspects of
I am one of the 23% of single mothers in America (Bureau, 2016). Being a single mother is both common yet challenging because many single mothers face the same issues: it is hard to maintain a steady job, it is challenging to managing finances, and it is covered in a negative stigma.