Child Poverty In The United States Essay

Millions of single mothers live near or below the poverty line in the United States. They must struggle to simply pay the bills and put food on the table. Even with government subsidies, food stamps, and child support Katrina is fighting to survive with her children. The unfortunate part of the whole situation is that Katrina did nothing wrong she worked hard and simply tried to raise a family but life took a couple of turns. Katrina married young and started having children equally young as well.

However, the reality is quite different. Much to this point, while eighty-one percent of households were family households in 1970, fast-forward to 2012, and a downward trend is evident, whereby only sixty-six percent of households were family households. (Vespa). In fact, an estimated 28% of children are raised in a single parent household. (legalmomentum.org).

The well-being of children is a collective responsibility, and access to quality child care and early education is a critical factor in a child’s development. Not only do childcare centers provide educational enrichment and socialization, but they also create employment opportunities for providers. Unfortunately, some places in the United States - referred to as “child care deserts”- lack access to sufficient, quality options for those who need them. A "childcare desert" refers to an area where there is a lack of available, accessible, and affordable childcare options for families. These areas can be found in both urban and rural areas, and are often characterized by a high poverty rate, low median income, and a lack of childcare providers.

“According to the National Poverty Center at the University of Michigan, 15.1% of Americans live in poverty (David 2014).” Inclusive, the article, Layers of Inequality: Power, Policy, and Health, present a common link to infant mortality which is racial discrimination, class or social ranking and stress.

Most recent finding on teen parenthood focuses on the teen mother as a result; a vast amount of information is missing from the experience of teen fathers. According to Mollborn (2010), “A large and growing body of literature on teenage childbearing generally focuses on one of two areas: preventing teenage pregnancy or documenting its consequences for young mothers and their families”. Based on the lack of emphasis placed on African American teen fathers provides an indication there is a need for a continuation of research to gain insight on the experience of being a African American teen father. Coles (2009b) conducted a study where she explored several factors of African American fatherhood. Cole interviewed 21 single African American fathers

In 2010, 27.4% of black families reported yearly earnings of under $21,000 throughout the United States. This comes as a result of high unemployment rates and low-income earnings of 17% of single parent households. In diverse communities, black families earn 10% less than Hispanics families and 20% less than white families making it impossible for them to afford service such as childcare, medical coverage or enroll their children in specialized schools in the community. With limited child care, working parents are unable to work long hours while some quit their current jobs. In addition to this, children attend poorly funded public schools that are overcrowded and taught with outdated learning materials.

When president Johnson started the War on Poverty, only seven percent of children in America were born outside of marriage. However, today the number is over forty percent. More people are now single parents raising children on their own while working and carrying on with their everyday life. Unmarried childbearing and the resulting increase of single-parents is a major cause of child poverty. The article concludes that the program lacks building self-sufficiency.

Chapter 1: Introduction The strengths and resilience of African American single mothers has historically changed families and communities for the better. However, African American single mothers are often a vulnerable population at risk for poor physical and mental health with negative outcomes outweighing both their female and male counterparts (Hatcher, Rayens, Peden, & Hall, 2012). There has been numerous race comparative self-esteem studies and research on the effects of single parenthood on child and adolescent self-esteem.

According to the PBS Frontline video “Poor Kids” 2012, more than 46 million Americans are living beneath the poverty line. The United States alone has one of the highest rates of child poverty in the industrialized world. It is stated that 1 out of 5 children are living in poverty. The video documented the lives of three families who are faced with extreme hardships and are battling to survive a life of being poor. All three families have more than one child and could barely afford to pay their bills and purchase food for their household.

Black parents are more likely to have two, lousy paying jobs instead of one well paid job. Black parents have to work twice as hard as white parents just to be able to keep their jobs and be able to support their family. As Cook said, black parents might not have the material to teach

Poverty is universal but does vary within countries, even neighborhoods. According to society poverty is hunger, lack of shelter, not having the ability to see a doctor when necessary and limited education. In third world countries, it is very common for parents to conceive a high number of children as a source of labor. Not only do these kids frequently receive slight or no education, but large families in these countries are the main contributor to global overpopulation. These children are not privileged with the same basic opportunities given to an American child.

(Journal of Adolescent research). Regardless of teachers, the students will continue to be in a different state-of-mind if they are people of colored. Which causes more of a racial discrimination on Blacks, and not on the Whites. Comparing these two resources, we can analyze that poverty has impacted people of color with a less standard

Financial problems is the most issue that single parents will faced. Single parents will worry about whether the monies are enough or sufficient for their families to meet their daily basic needs. For instance, single mothers had

I. Introduction A. Thesis statement: A child’s early development is greatly impacted by living in poverty which leads to poor cognitive outcomes, school achievement, and severe emotional, and behavioral problems. II. Body Paragraph 1. Claim: According to (Short, 2016) poverty consists of two parts: a measure of need and resources available to meet those needs.

However, it is likely--given the Guttmacher Institute report on men and unintended pregnancy--that a number of the single fathers in the Pew report are unintended fathers as well. To better understand the role and impact that single fathers have in the lives of children, seven facts stand out from the Pew report: (1) Men make up a growing share of single parent households. In 1960, single fathers headed about 14 percent of single parent households; in 2013, 24 percent did. (2) Single fathers are more likely than single mothers to be with a partner (41 percent versus 16 percent). (3) Single fathers, compared to a two-married-parent household are younger, less educated, less financially well off and less likely to be white.