| Children of Solo Mothers Suffer from Poverty |
By David Perdew |
|
It's no picnic for moms raising children in a home
without a father, without emotional or financial
support. Seems like a big ol' 'Doh'!
But sometimes, our little minds just can't grasp the
reality of a tragic situation - and believe me, this is
tragic. Even in America, the richest nation on earth,
mothers without fathers in the home suffer the most -
far more than you ever thought.
Father's historical role in the family has been
breadwinner. When he goes, so does the financial
stability of the family in most cases. Immediately, the
children of solo mothers (or children whose fathers are
absent from the home where the mother is responsible
for raising them) are plunged into poverty.
Research conducted in 1990 throughout all
industrialized nations proved that children in solo-
mother families are at greater risk of poverty. In
places like Australia, Canada and the United States -
the "more advanced nations" - more than 50% of children
in solo-mother families are living below the
'Luxembourg Income Study poverty line'.
Other countries implement government policies that do
not diminish the effects but alleviate them to a
certain extent. Denmark, Finland, and Sweden also have
a high percentage of children in solo-mother families,
yet fewer than 10% live below the poverty line.
The following table represents the percentage of
children who are living below the poverty line,
according to research conducted in 1990-1992.
Percent of Children In Poverty
Children in Children in
two-parent family solo mother family
Sweden 2.2 5.2
Denmark 2.5 7.3
Finland 1.9 7.5
Belgium 3.2 10.0
Italy 9.5 13.9
Norway 1.9 18.4
Netherlands 3.1 39.5
Canada 7.4 50.2
Australia 7.7 56.2
United States 11.1 59.5
On June 16, 1995 President Clinton requested every
agency of the Federal government to review its programs
and policies with the purpose of strengthening the role
of fathers in families.
His heart was in the right place, but unfortunately,
like most government initiatives, it lost momentum.
Fathering: The Man and The Family is the Department of
Health and Human Services (DHHS) response to this
directive.
Their guiding principles are:
* All fathers can be important contributors to the
well-being of their children.
* Parents are partners in raising their children, even
when they do not live in the same household.
* The roles fathers play in families are diverse and
related to cultural and community norms.
* Men should receive the education and support
necessary to prepare them for the responsibility of
parenthood.
* Government can encourage and promote father
involvement through its programs and through its own
workforce policies.
These guidelines are great. Recognition, education,
responsibility, encouragement and enforcement - great
concepts. But. . .
It lacked genuine teeth. If the government focused
on the protection of the rights of fathers in addition
to those of the mother, more children would be able to
benefit from the special relationship of 'two' parents
who care for them and are actively involved in their
lives, even when the two parents don't live together
any longer.
And worse yet, radical father's rights groups have used
the directive to ensure less paternal responsibility
instead of ensuring greater child benefits.
As always, the voiceless children lost. What are we to
do?
*****************************************************
PS: If you have experiences or ideas you'd like to
contribute, forward them to me at support@bad-dad.com
and I'll include them in future publications. Or voice
your comments at http://www.WorldWantingPeace.com |
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