15 Track 15

Review unit 3

fluency practice

review readings 6: Single-Parent Families: Changing Views

Page 170

Single-Parent Families Changing Views

The two-parent family is traditionally seen as the best way to raise children. In the past, single-parent families have had to deal with the stigma attached to their life choices.

Nowadays, however, this single-parent family is the fastest growing type of family. Single parenthood can be the result of death, divorce, or separation, but it can also result from single-parent adoption or women having children on their own thanks to fertility treatments.

In the United States, a national survey showed that at least 50 percent of children, at some point in their childhood, will be members of a single-parent home.

Whether they elect to be single parents or have no choice, single parents are usually at a disadvantage in many ways compared to two-parent families. In a family with only one breadwinner, money is often in short supply.

Compared to homes where one parent is wholly dedicated to child rearing while the other works, children in single-parent homes receive less attention. Single parents can find themselves overwhelmed by their responsibilities both at work and at home.

There have been some interesting statistics over the years concerning children of single parents.

It’s been well-documented that children from single-parent families have a slightly higher chance of becoming juvenile criminals.

Other studies claim that these children are also more likely to drop out of school in their teens and to be jobless in their early 20s. A connection has even been made between children of single parents and higher rates of obesity and using illegal drugs.

Research has shown that there are certain factors that help single-parent families. One thing be successful families have in common is a strong support network, such as extended family, friends, or even special interest groups.

Single parents need to remember that nobody does it alone and there are many resources available to help them.

For example, there may be government or non-profit organizations dedicated to helping single-parent families, or they can even turn to schools, community centers, and religious organizations.

Single-parent families may even have certain advantages over two-parent families. Single parents have greater flexibility in spending time with children, because they don’t have to take the needs and schedule of a partner into consideration.

Another advantage comes from the fact that single parents are more inclined to work together with their children to solve problems. This give-and-take between parents and children can make children feel more needed and valued, and give them a larger sense of responsibility.

It’s important to mention the special challenges faced by the single father. Even today, when the social and family roles of males and females are less defined than in the 50s and 60s.

Many people are reluctant to admit that man can be effective, single parents. Modern men are more willing and able to cook and clean − responsibilities that were once exclusively assigned to women.

Single fathers may also show more interest in the education and protection of their children, and report developing closer relationships as single parents. Perhaps the most significant change is in society’s attitudes towards single-parent families.

There is much less discrimination both in terms of laws and how people view them. As single-parent families become more common, more and more people will start to view these family arrangements as normal.

With enough community acceptance and support, the negative statistics linking single-parent families to youth crime and delinquency will definitely improve. Single parents no longer have to fear whether their child or children will be treated differently to their peers.

End of the CD 2