Families headed by single mothers are a widespread social phenomenon all over the United States. At the same time, often, such families are vulnerable and unprotected against the socio-economic challenges that face all the parents raising their children and maintaining the household. However, some single parents with a more stable financial position can deal with the challenges better than the poor ones. Therefore, this essay reflects on the situation and social institution in the example of a single mother from Florida.
Firstly, it is necessary to analyze the overall income of the family. Under the established circumstances, the budget with all the necessary and additional expenses seems authentic. The mother most likely does not have higher education, so the chances of getting a high-paid job significantly decrease (Cohen, 2018). Thus, one of her options is to manage and cut expenses as much as possible. For instance, the mother could try to find a cheaper apartment and, when it is possible, use public transport instead of the car. Also, usually caring parents tend to limit their own needs and spend less money on themselves, saving everything to provide their children with necessities. Besides cutting expenses, the caregiver may also find an additional part-time job on weekends or during the business week to earn some money to increase the family budget.
Inevitably in low-income families, children and their parents go through specific challenges. The younger child probably will have to use goods and wear clothes from the older siblings since this can save money from spending money on new ones. Also, mothers can hardly afford regular entertainment, trips, expensive toys, or brand-new electronic gadgets. Children may feel unsatisfied and devastated that some of their desires cannot be fulfilled.
Moreover, children might experience social pressure from their peers to fit into certain standards. For children, it is critical to own the latest models of smartphones, fashionable clothes, and popular toys to be accepted. From the children’s point of view, those who cannot share their interests and relate to specific activities become not the most desirable candidates for friends. In the future, they might struggle with attending college because it is usually very costly, so unless they have excellent grades, it will be challenging to get a quality education. Also, there is a stereotype that parents from low-income families can also struggle with their children’s upbringing, and they grow up with a strenuous character and usually misbehave. Since the single mother is continually working to earn money for a living and there is no other parent to take care of the children, people may assume they can be neglected (Kim et al., 2018). Therefore, children do not receive the required teaching about morals and etiquette. They do not always have an adult near them for advice or guidance on acting in a particular situation.
However, if the mother continues improving her lifestyle and increasing the family’s income, she will face some obstacles. First, the low initial budget defines the lack of professional skills and knowledge to get a high-paid job. Attending educational courses to increase qualification might be an option, although it has limitations because it requires additional expenditures and free time (Roberts et al., 2013). Balancing all the family, job, and educational responsibilities can be highly exhausting and sometimes even impossible to manage. In that case, the single mother can ask relatives for material help or assistance in child care. In addition, she can search for financial help from governmental programs, receive a tax credit, and get paid family and sick leave.
Overall, families with the head represented by a single mother are regularly exposed to financial struggles and poverty. There are minimal possibilities for such families to improve their positions due to financial difficulties, lack of time, and the mother’s proper education. Low-income families are, more often than others, perceived as marginal or unsuccessful. Nevertheless, each situation is strictly individual, and with governmental help and other family members’ and friends’ assistance, a single mother has a chance to improve the family’s position and provide her children with opportunities for a great future.
References
Cohen, P. N. (2018). The family: Diversity, inequality, and social change (3rd edition). New York, NY: WW Norton.
Roberts, B., Povich, D., & Mather, M. (2013). Low-income working families: The growing economic gap. The Working Poor Families Project, 301(3), 657-1480.
Kim, G. E., Choi, H. Y., & Kim, E. J. (2018). Impact of economic problems on depression in single mothers: A comparative study with married women. PloS one, 13(8), e0203004.