The Voice - Student Newspaper

Single mothers are in the majority

The life of a single parent can be tough; after all, nothing worthwhile is ever easy. It's not as if someone woke up one morning and decided "I'm going to be a single parent today" Although life is full of choices, sometimes life gets in the way. It doesn't make it any easier that stereotypes get in the way as well, such as the girl was promiscuous, or the guy was a player. These thoughts itself make it hard to be a single parent when society's view of them may seem cold. In many cases people fall in love, only to realize nothing lasts forever, and Life takes a 180degree turn. Despite the challenges parents face, being a parent does have benefits. It's not the benefits one can see, like money, it's a sense of maturity, wisdom, and fulfillment; knowing every day challenges are being overcome, and after a hard days work a hug from a child seems to be the best medicine. The best reward is being given, in return, love.

Who is it more difficult for? Men or women? Sympathy is given to single moms, but what about single dads? They do exist you know. According to the U.S Census Bureau 1-in-6 single parents is a father. So why is all the emphasis being put on single moms? The fact of the matter is the majority of single parents are female.

According to www.usaweekend.com More than 80 per cent of babies delivered by teen mothers were born outside of marriage.

In 2006, however, according to USAtoday.com "The number of households headed by single fathers increased by almost 62 per cent in the past decade. This increase is more than twice that of single mothers. Single fathers face a challenge that single mothers might not. The media portrays men as baby makers, and leavers, but this is far from the case. Another question raised, do single fathers have it harder? Everyone is different so it is not easy to determine. We can however look at the differences and commonalties in men and women raising children such as financial stability, support systems, and overall mentality to raise a child. It seems equally tough, however just different. For example the woman may have the natural born instinct to be a mother where as being a "Mr. Mom" may be a learning process. Or vise versa. The reasons the percentages of single fathers has risen over the past decade vary from never marrying, divorce, widowed, and custody.

The most important thing to understand is that we can find something in common. Single parents aren't just female. Sometimes people get caught up in analyzing and bashing. These thoughts arise when we look too much at our own situation and dwell instead of realizing we are not alone. Instead of wondering who has it harder and debating it Lets realize that you are not the only one.

Seek support wherever and whenever, and don't be afraid to sit in a parenting class full of mostly women or to seek advice from a single father. Single parents understand that parenting has no gender.