Risk Factors Associated with Nonmarital Childbearing(SINGLE PARENTING)

Coming into young adulthood is a risk factor within itself, try being a single parent between the ages of 18 to 35, the risk factors increase at a rapid rate. Understanding risk factors associated with single parenting is vital for the policy makers who are concerned with reducing the rate of children born out of wedlock. Some of the common risk factors are childhood experiences, environmental issues, neighborhoods,socioeconomic opportunities, family structures,parents'marital status, parental educational, and income levels are some of the common risk factors thought to be associated with single parents.(www.family.jrank.org)

According to research, risk factors for single parents is caused by the instability in family arrangements that are associated with job loss and frequent migration .(www.familyjrank.org)
It appears that society thinks that children in single parent homes who experience poverty and inadequacy of resources face a higher likelihood of being involved in nonmarital fertility. It has come to my understanding that some researchers think that nonmarital fertility is influenced by neighborhood contexts, meaning women in neighborhoods iwth a higher concentration of public assistance recepients experience high levels of nonmarital fertility, possibly because of receipt of public assistance is related to poverty, the absence of positive role models, and a lack of community resources.

To speak for myself, I was raised in a lower middle class suburban home, I was raised with the traditional views about female gender roles and the family. I had high self-esteem, high academic possibilities,high goals, and my family was very loving. My nonmarital childbearing was not caused by my socioeconomic background, nor my neighborhood, but by the phase " emerging adulthood" (Hutchinson,2008). I was exploring my relationships and trying to transiton into young adult, not knowing I was about to become labeled a "RISK FACTOR".
Being a single parent and having overcome many risk factors, has made me a stronger person and appreciated the protective factors that were put place for me to become a better parent and strive to have a better life for my child.

Challenges of Single-Parenting

Parenthood is challenging under the best conditions. Imagine being a single parent with risk factors staring you in the face on a day to day basis; being single parent multiplies the challenges and increases the potential risk factors.Coping with being a single parent becomes more difficult because of the enormous amount of responsibilities. Single parents make all the decisions for all the family needs; task over-load, when the demands of work, housework, and parenting can be overwhelming for one person. As a single-parent, we do these things to insure that are children have the appropiate protective factors to prevent them from having to encounter the risk factors that society labels us with.

Another challenge is the emotional overload; single parents must be available at all times to meet the needs of the children and themselves as the mediator, motivator,investigator, and the terminator.Single-parenting also brings loneliness, anxiety, and depression; with a strong support system as well as being a strong self motivator we can overcome all of these risk factors.

Personally, I have a problem asking help from others; I think that I am MISS SUPERWOMAN !!! Society tries to define the family as an autonomous unit responsible for its own circumstances and well-being, I guess I am trying to say I can stand on my own. But, I have come to the realization that everyone needs a little help. The challenges of single-parenting are only obstacles that I continue to overcome; I AM A PROTECTIVE FACTOR FOR MY DAUGHTER.

Society's View on Single-Parent Families

Many of societal views on single-parenting families are expressed through social policies and agendas. Society views single families as broken families; this considered a threat to social order. In researching this topic, It appears that Western Countries support the wellbeing of children, regardless of the number of parents with programs such as guaranteed child-support, health insurance, childcare, maternity and parenting benefits.I feel that as a single parent, for years I had to jump through hoops to get many services that I needed at the time. I also felt like people look at me as just another woman bringing a child into the world out of wedlock.

In some Third World countries, single mothers are socially ostracized and seen as having inferior status (Kinnear 1999). Societal views on single-parenting are also expressed in public disclosure through legal and pubic policies. I feel that society tries to push the traditional mold and cast stones at the single mother. I feel that a lot of society's behaviors have to to with social age and social identity. In today's society,there needs to be more institutional support for the new type of dual-earner and single-parent prevalent.

Single Parenting in Young Adulthood

I chose to research the topic of Single Parenting in Young Adulthood. This topic is very important to me personally and professionally. On a personal level, I have been a single parent for the past fifteen years and I can say that I have done a GREAT!! job of raising my daughter by myself; I went from being a young eager college student, to being a nineteen year old mother. Professionally, most of the clients I serve are from single parent homes. Single parenting is considered a demographic trend that is rapidly increasing and changing the face value of the typical family. ( What is the look of a normal family?) Not only are children being raised by one parent, but that parent is typically the mother, look how the make up of the family has changed over the past thirty years.
According to the statics of family.jr.org, single parenting is changing social and cultural trends, whether the result is positive or negative. Regarding what statistics or anyone else says, I am going to remain positive on this topic. Over the next couple of weeks I will be posting some of the issues that Single parent families are facing.