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Being a Single Parent

• Categories: Single Parenting

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Published: Mar 19, 2024

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Table of contents

Introduction, 1. socioeconomic challenges, 2. emotional struggles, 3. societal stigmas, 4. strengths and resilience, 5. support networks, 6. positive outcomes.

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Single Parent - Free Essay Examples And Topic Ideas

A single parent is an individual who has most of the day-to-day responsibilities in the raising of the child or children, which would categorize them as the dominant caregiver. Essays could discuss the challenges and rewards of single parenting, societal attitudes towards single parents, and the impact of single parenting on children. A substantial compilation of free essay instances related to Single Parent you can find at Papersowl. You can use our samples for inspiration to write your own essay, research paper, or just to explore a new topic for yourself.

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20 Scholarships for Students from Single-Parent Households

According to the Pew Research Center , approximately one quarter of children in the United States are raised in single-parent families. While it’s not as uncommon as it once was, growing up as the child of a single parent can carry its own set of unique opportunities and challenges. Some children report closer familial relationships, while others struggle to make ends meet. For single-parent families that only have one income, educational costs can represent an especially significant burden. Fortunately, there are a number of high-quality scholarships that provide financial assistance to students raised by single moms, dads, or other single guardians.

To qualify for many of these single-parent scholarships, you’ll need to complete the free application for federal student aid (FAFSA®) and calculate your expected family contribution (EFC) to your college education. Not sure how to begin? Use our custom tools to figure out your EFC and answer the FAFSA®’s trickiest questions . Then sign up for Going Merry to find even more scholarships specifically for you. 

20 Scholarships for Children of Single Parents  

It doesn’t matter if you lost a parent to illness or an accident, or if your parents simply divorced when you were young: These awards apply to dependent children from single-parent households of all kinds. So, if you were raised by a single mom or dad, start your scholarship search here. 

1. Vincent Bennett Jr. Memorial Scholarship

Amount: $20,000

Provider : First Responders Children’s Foundation

Eligibility Requirements :

• Minimum GPA of 2.7 on a 4.0 scale
• Enrolled or planning to enroll in a college, university, or technical or vocational institution
• Child of a law enforcement officer or firefighter who died in the line of duty

Application Requirements: Transcript, 3 letters of recommendation, student aid report, financial aid award letter, proof of U.S. citizenship or legal permanent residency, proof of acceptance or enrollment, personal statement, headshot, list of honors and awards, picture of first responder’s ID or letter from employer

Named for Vincent Bennett Jr., a passionate member of the First Responders Children’s Foundation, this four-year award provides financial support to one exceptional college freshman each academic year. To be eligible for the Vincent Bennett Jr. Memorial Scholarship, you must be the child of a firefighter or law enforcement officer who was killed while on duty. While there’s no required field of study, students pursuing engineering will be given preference. Community service and high academic achievement will also help set you apart.

2. The Toby Merrill Scholarship

Amount: $9,700

Provider : The Toby Merrill Scholarship Fund

• Minimum GPA of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale
• Enrolled or planning to enroll full-time in a college or university

Application Requirements: Essay, list of extracurricular activities, list of honors and awards

Toby Merrill was a committed dad, husband, and friend who tragically lost his life to cancer. To honor Toby, his family and friends created the need-based Toby Merrill Scholarship to help students who have lost a parent pay for their higher education. Because Toby was committed to community service, scholarship recipients will need to complete 10 volunteer hours each year to renew their scholarship. While it’s not a requirement for entry, the award gives priority to students experiencing hardship due to bereavement and/or cancer. 

3. First Responders Children’s Foundation Scholarship

Amount: Varies

• Biological child, adopted child, or stepchild of a first responder who died in the line of duty 

If you’re the child of a first responder who was killed in the line of duty, the First Responders Children’s Foundation Scholarship could help you pay for college. The award amount varies each year, but the maximum award amount is $6,250, and it can be renewed annually for up to four years. Priority goes to applicants whose parent passed away while on the job. (Stepchildren of deceased first responders qualify, too, as long as they were listed as a dependent on tax returns prior to the first responder’s death.)

4. Jennifer Casey Alderman Scholarship Award

Amount: $10,000

Provider : Twisted Pink

• Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, or Tennessee resident
• Minimum GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale
• Child of a parent who died from metastatic breast cancer 

Application Requirements: Essay

Twisted Pink works to further research and access to care for people with metastatic breast cancer. In honor of Jennifer Casey Alderman, a mother and wife who lost her life to the disease, the organization created the Jennifer Casey Alderman Scholarship Award . To apply, you’ll need to write an essay about any topic of your choosing. (Need help with your essay? Use Going Merry’s essay tips to help you write the perfect one.) You’ll also need to provide proof of your eligibility via an obituary, death certificate, or letter from your parent’s medical oncologist. Scholarship recipients can renew the award each subsequent year for $2,500 annually. 

5. Ava’s Grace Scholarship

Amount: $5,000

Provider : The Scholarship Foundation of St. Louis

• Missouri or Illinois resident (limited to the following Illinois counties: Bond, Calhoun, Clinton, Jersey, Macoupin, Madison, Monroe, or St. Clair counties) 
• Minimum GPA of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale
• Enrolled or planning to enroll in a college or university
• Child of a parent who is or has been incarcerated in a U.S. penitentiary (state or federal)

Application Requirements: Transcript, completed FAFSA®, student aid report, personal statement, resume

The Scholarship Foundation of St. Louis sponsors the Ava’s Grace Scholarship for students who have at least one incarcerated parent. The award was named for Ava, who founded the scholarship in response to her own mother’s incarceration and her desire to use education to break the incarceration cycle. To qualify, you must have been a resident of Missouri or a few select counties in Illinois for a minimum of two years. Priority goes to students with an expected family contribution (EFC) of $1,500 or less. (If your EFC is greater than $1,500, you can still apply, but you’ll need to demonstrate extenuating circumstances.) In your personal statement, write about how having an incarcerated parent has affected your education, development, and goals for your future. This grant program is renewable for up to eight semesters. 

6. The 9/11 Promise Scholarship

Provider : 9/11 Promise

• Under the age of 25
• Child of a first responder or armed-services member who died in the line of duty 

Application Requirements: 2 letters of recommendation, essay, personal statement, list of honors and awards

The 9/11 Promise Scholarship was originally created to honor those who lost their lives in the 9/11 terrorist attack in New York City. Today, the award goes to 11 deserving young students whose lives have been irreparably changed due to the loss of a first-responder parent. The amounts vary between $5,000 and $15,000. This college scholarship can be used to fund undergraduate or graduate studies as well as to finance a trade or vocational degree. The essay prompt asks students to write about what they’ve learned by having a first responder for a parent. (You’ll also need to provide proof of death and documentation of your parent’s service.)

7. ReWritten Scholarship

Provider : ReWritten

• Enrolled or planning to enroll in a college, university, or trade or vocational school
• Child raised by a single mother

Application Requirements: Personal statement

Statistically, children raised without fathers are more likely to live in low-income communities, face imprisonment, die by suicide, or run away from home — but ReWritten wants to re-write that story. To support students from fatherless households, they’ve created the ReWritten Scholarship . The award ranges from $500 to $5,000 and is intended to help college students gain access to a brighter future. To apply, students should submit a written plan for their higher education and demonstrate financial need. 

8. Life Lessons Scholarship Program

Provider : Life and Health Insurance Foundation for Education

• 17 to 24 years of age
• Child of a parent or legal guardian who is deceased 

If you’ve lost a parent or guardian, the Life Lessons Scholarship Program is aimed at helping you afford higher education. This award is open to both undergraduate and graduate students. To apply, write an essay or record a three-minute video discussing how the death of your parent impacted your life and your plans for your future. This award is sponsored by Life and Health Insurance Foundation for Education, so if relevant, be sure to explain how a lack of appropriate life insurance impacted your family financially. The award amount varies, but the total amount for all prizes (usually around 40 total) will be $250,000. 

9. The Family Scholarship Fund

Provider : The American Society of Safety Professionals Foundation

• Child of a parent who died in a workplace incident

Application Requirements: Transcript, essay

As part of their mission to support those in occupational safety or health careers, the American Society of Safety Professionals Foundation created the Family Scholarship Fund . The fund works to offset college costs for students who have lost a parent in a workplace incident. The award amount varies by year and financial need. Because application requirements are fairly open-ended (students can be pursuing a degree either full-time or part-time, for example), the selection committee considers each application on an individual basis. For the best chance of winning, write an essay detailing how the loss of your parent affected your life.   

10. Operation Second Chance Scholarship

Amount: $3,500

Provider : Operation Second Chance

• Enrolled as a high-school senior
• Child of a veteran who died from injuries related to combat deployment

Application Requirements: Transcript, student aid report, proof of acceptance or enrollment

Operation Second Chance works to support veterans and their families. To that end, the nonprofit offers its Operation Second Chance Scholarship to the children of veterans killed in combat. To apply, you must be a high school senior planning to pursue higher education in the upcoming school year.  There is no GPA or standardized test score requirement, and students can be planning to attend any kind of post-secondary school: community colleges, universities, vocational schools, and trade schools are all fair game for eligibility.  

11. Colwell Law Single Parent Scholarship

Amount: $1,000

Provider : Colwell Law

• Enrolled in a college or university
• Child raised by a single parent

Application Requirements: Transcript, essay, resume

Colwell Law, a firm that specializes in family and divorce practice, understands how much of a financial burden it can be for single moms and dads to send their kids to college. To help bridge that gap in financial support, they endow the Colwell Law Single Parent Scholarship . The award is open to children of single parents as well as to single parents themselves. The application includes an essay where applicants should share how living in a single-parent household has shaped their values, character, and goals. 

12. The Quell Foundation Survivor Scholarship

Provider : The Quell Foundation Irene Pasierb Memorial Fund

• Minimum GPA of 3.4 on a 4.0 scale
• Child of a parent, caregiver, or sibling who died due to suicide

Application Requirements: Transcript, personal statement

The Quell Foundation Irene Pasierb Memorial Fund is passionate about improving education and reducing the stigma around mental illness. The Quell Foundation Survivor Scholarship is given annually to students who have lost a parent, caregiver, or sibling to suicide. The scholarship opportunity is open to current high school seniors planning to pursue a bachelor’s degree, as well as to current undergraduate and graduate students. Your personal statement should include how your family member’s death has affected your life and education. (Refer to our tips to craft a compelling personal statement that will help you stand out from the crowd.) 

13. Encore Protection Victims of Drunk Driving Scholarship

Provider : Encore Protection

• Child of a parent who died due to a drunk-driving accident  

Encore Protection provides roadside assistance to drivers across the United States. As part of their goal to improve driver safety, Encore is passionate about ending drunk driving. In an effort to support this cause, they’ve created the Encore Protection Victims of Drunk Driving Scholarship . This award helps students who have lost a parent to a drunk driving accident afford post-secondary education. To apply, you’ll need to write an essay addressing the effects of drunk driving — both on you and on the community at large. 

14. The Lisa Michelle Memorial Fund Scholarship

Provider : The Lisa Michelle Memorial Fund

• Child of a parent who died due to alcohol, drug, or prescription drug abuse

Application Requirements: Transcript, proof of acceptance or enrollment, essay

The Lisa Michelle Memorial Fund was created in honor of Lisa Michelle, a mother who tragically lost her battle with addiction. The Lisa Michelle Memorial Fund Scholarship supports one deserving student each year who has lost a parent to alcohol or drug abuse. This scholarship opportunity asks students to write an essay about their experience of losing a parent to addiction. In your statement, be sure to explain how a college education will impact both you and your family.  

15. FOZA Scholarship for Maternal Mental Health Awareness

Provider : Friends of Zayne Adams, Inc. 

• Black/African American, Hispanic/Latinx, and/or Native American
• Enrolled or planning to enroll in a college, university, or trade or vocational school 
• Child of a parent who died by postpartum depression-related suicide 

Postpartum depression is a common and often undiscussed illness that affects up to approximately 15% of new mothers, according to the National Library of Medicine . Zayne Adams’s mother was one of them. After he lost her in the first month of his life, his mother’s friends and family came together to create the FOZA Scholarship for Maternal Mental Health Awareness . This scholarship award helps children who have lost a mother due to postpartum depression-related suicide. To apply, you’ll need to write an essay expressing why community service is important to you. This award is open to students pursuing undergraduate, associate’s, and/or trade degrees. 

16. Tuition and Fee Exemption for Children of Deceased or Disabled Veterans Grant

Amount: Full tuition and fees

Provider : State of Indiana

• Indiana resident
• Under the age of 33 
• Child of a U.S. armed-forces member who died or was permanently disabled in the line of duty

Application Requirements: Completed FAFSA®, student aid report

Unlike a lot of scholarships on this list, the Tuition and Fee Exemption for Children of Deceased or Disabled Veterans Grant is a grant program funded by the Indiana Department of Education. This program was specifically created for students who both reside and plan to pursue a college degree in the state of Indiana. To maintain eligibility, students must remain enrolled in a degree program at a public university or college. If you qualify for this grant, you will have up to eight years to use the assistance, so you can pause your studies at any time and come back to school later as needed.

17. Redrick Leijon Nicholas Williams Scholarship

Provider : Greater Emmanuel Temple Church

• Los Angeles county resident 
• Black/African American male 

Application Requirements: Transcript, 3 letters of recommendation, essay, video essay

Greater Emmanuel Temple Church, a cornerstone of the local Black community in Los Angeles, created the Redrick Leijon Nicholas Williams Scholarship to support Black men raised by single mothers. The award gets its name from a strong community leader and Greater Emmanuel Temple Church member who worked tirelessly to help his single mother support his four younger siblings. To honor his strength, this award goes to one graduating high school senior each year. You must be entering either a two- or four-year program to qualify. In addition to a written essay, students must submit a 90-second video about their mother, including her sacrifices and the role she played in the applicant’s life. 

18. The Foster Hope Award

Amount: $500

Provider : Foster Hope

• Wisconsin resident
• Enrolled in a college or university 
• Have experienced an adverse life event

Application Requirements: Transcript, 2 letters of recommendation, proof of residency, essay

Originally created for children raised in the foster care system, the Foster Hope Award has been expanded to include all Wisconsin students who have experienced childhood hardship. To win it, you must have experienced an adverse life event — like losing a parent — and be able to write an essay explaining how you’ve demonstrated hope in the face of adversity. Applicants who are a resident of Central Wisconsin or have attended the Royal Family Kids Camp will receive preference during the selection process. You’ll also need to be attending a college or university in-state.  

19. Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant

Provider : U.S. Department of Education

• Child of a U.S. armed forces member who died during service in Iraq or Afghanistan
• Ineligible for the Pell Grant based on your expected family contribution, but meet all other Pell Grant eligibility requirements 

Application Requirements: Completed FAFSA®, student aid report, proof of U.S. citizenship or legal permanent residency

The Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant is a grant program funded by the U.S. Department of Education. To be eligible, you must not qualify for the Pell Grant due to your EFC but must meet the other Pell Grant requirements for financial need and U.S. citizenship. The award amount varies each year, but cannot exceed the amount of your tuition. If you qualify, you’re eligible to receive this grant for up to 12 semesters. All you have to do to renew is continue to fill out the FAFSA® each year. 

20. Children of Veterans Tuition Grant

Provider : State of Michigan

• Michigan resident 
• 16 to 26 years old 
• Child of a U.S. armed-forces member who died or was permanently disabled due to service 

The Children of Veterans Tuition Grant is a grant program designed to help Michigan students earn the college degrees of their dreams. To qualify, you must have a parent who is a veteran and who died or was permanently disabled during the course of their service. The award is renewable for up to four years or for $11,200 as long as the recipient maintains an overall GPA of 2.25 or higher. The scholarship amount varies based on financial need as determined by the FAFSA® and your course load, but the maximum for a full-time student is $2,800 per year. 

Get more scholarships delivered to you with Going Merry

Losing a parent — either to death or to personal circumstances — can come with unimaginable grief, not to mention serious financial hardship. That’s especially true if you grew up in a low-income community. Only having one breadwinner can make pursuing a college education more difficult, but it doesn’t have to prevent you from receiving your degree. Thanks to the growing number of scholarship opportunities for children from single-parent homes, financial assistance is within reach. 

If you need help keeping track of application deadlines, making sense of financial aid, or finding other relevant scholarships, Going Merry has you covered. Our intuitive, easy-to-use platform curates awards just for you based on your financial need, personal preferences, and interests.Simplify your scholarship search and application process by signing up for Going Merry today. 

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Home Essay Samples Life Single Parenting

Navigating College as a Single Mother

Table of contents, a multifaceted journey, resilience and grit, unique perspective and empathy, strength in diversity, a vision for the future, conclusion: a journey of triumph.

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The Struggles of Single Parenting Essay

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Introduction

Financial challenge, finding competent childcare, the world on your shoulder, feeling lost and alone, introducing your child to those who you are dating, works cited.

Parenting is the central role of family, which is the basic unit of society. Thus, a society is characterized by the quality of parenting achieved at the family level. The stigma surrounding single parenthood is borne out of the contemporary notion that family comprises a father, mother and children (Hanson, 44). Single parent families are thus vilified on the notion that they are deficient.

In some instances, weakened gender-identity and poor self-esteem culminates from the existence of single parenthood. Parenting involves responsibilities and resources, which one individual cannot avail at the desired time and in the required proportion. Despite the significance of parenting to the life of an individual, little or no formal grounding is available for would-be parents on how to best execute the job (Hanson, 45). The concept of single parenthood highlighted is that of a single motherhood. As a result, most families characterized by single parenthood comprise of a single mother (Bornstein, 56). Growing up under the care of single parent has its influence on the personality of an individual.

In spite of the challenges facing single parents, the implicit differences in an individual’s personality cannot be accurately attributed to the type of parenting they receive. However, as postulated by McLanahan & Sandefur p1,

“Children who grow up in a household with only one biological parent are worse off on average than children who grow up in a household with both of their biological parents, regardless of the parents race or educational background, whether the parents were married when the child was born and …of whether the resident parent remarries”p1.

Single parent households face numerous challenges as discussed hereunder. However, these challenges are relative to the situation faced by families headed by both parents.

The ability of a single parent to avail sufficient financial resources for upbringing of a child is limited. Hanson (p56) posits that poverty limits the ability to look after children in addition to personal needs of the parent. It also has far-reaching adversities such as poor performance at school, youth delinquency and poor self-concept. The associated unavailability of proper housing, insecurity and abuse increase the influence of single-parenthood to development of a child in spite of the fact that wealth is no guarantee of positive outcome in character of the children.

However, resource availability boosts the affordability of some necessary amenities. As outlined by McLanahan & Sandefur (p 10), in 1980, the overall dropout rate was 19%, with 13% of the children residing with both parents. Most single parents experience compounded issues relating to finances. The inability to gain entry into the jobs market is borne out of socio-economic constraints. Most of them are non-literate or semi literate.

The lack of skills and competencies in income-generating activities contribute to their scenario in most cases. Single parents who are financially stable have higher chances of remarrying as well. Thus, most of the single mothers who experience financial constraints sink into a downward spiral into poverty. Single parents are in a dilemma when it comes to dealing with unemployment and scarcity of resources or having time for themselves and parenting their child. As observed, poverty is major contributor to inability to remarry after divorce or getting married in the first place.

Gone are the days when a neighbor would assist with household chores without asking for some form of compensation (Walsh, 138). Each individual is involved in income generation and it is common-practice for people seeking services of others to offer competitive pay. At the backdrop of financial constraints, a single parent finds themselves unable to afford childcare according to McLanahan & Sandefur (p 8). Since the single parent has to attend to her work responsibilities, part of the day’s prime hours are spend away from the child. Most workplaces are not considerate of such scenarios and do not have flexibility regarding day care (Hanson, 50)

Children require a father figure to which they can relate and adore. A single-parent family presents a scenario where the parents are not living together and takes away the opportunity of the child to experience the nurture of two parents. As a result, there is loss or absence of social capital. McLanahan & Sandefur (p 3) describes social capital as the scenario where a relationship develops out of trust and commitment.

If the absentee parent is alive, the child is bound to feel that the parent who lives apart does not love them enough to afford time and financial resources to support their needs. As articulated by Hanson (p115), uncertainty about the future is bound to breed deviant tendencies and undesirable personal traits. The ability of the child to succeed and grow to a productive adult is severely compromised due to lack of this form of guidance.

The arrival or departure of the father figure is associated with problems, while strong home environments are associated with perceptions of positive behavior (Hanson 50). Thus, support of a fatherly figure is of utmost necessity. As posited by Walsh, “Although single parents are likely to have more stress and a fragmented household, these parents and children can learn how get their needs met within their networks. With support from extended family…useful connection with community members…”p127

Data reveals that single parents are more likely to sink into depression than their married counterparts are (Walsh, 124). The unavailability of a caring partner to strengthen the single parent against the challenges of parenting is bound to exert immense pressure on the single parent. However, this relies on the level of support from friends, relatives or support groups. The changing roles of the single parent, in addition to the other challenges of parenting are bound to cultivate ground for loneliness. The parent has to divide their resources between their love and that of the child. As a result, decision-making becomes a challenge, since a second opinion may only be available from the child he or she is upbringing.

The dating scene presents another challenge to a single parent. Many times, the bond between the prospective partner and the child may fail to develop leading to the child disapproving of them. This occurs since the child feels that the prospective ‘partner’ has come to take the place of the absentee parent. As a result, the child develops barriers to frustrate the individual, culminating into tensions that compromise the success of the relationship (Moore et al, 103). On the other hand, the parent is unsure about the longevity of the relationship from the onset. Incase the child develop a bond with the prospective partner, it is possible that the child will be distraught in case the relationship does not work.

Single parenthood is a major challenge even in the absence of the above stated difficulties. However, the outcome of parenting is not necessarily related to the presence of two parents as observed from both cases of parenting. In spite of the challenges faced by single parents, no evidence is conclusive relating to the adverse impact of one-parent families to the personality of the children in adult life. As a result, parents should strive to avail the best possible care and nurture to their children regardless of their scenario

Bornstein, Marc H. “Handbook of Parenting: Being and Becoming a Parent, Volume 3” USA: Routledge, 2002, p 50-60

Hanson, Shirley M. “Single Parent Families: Diversity, Myths, and Realities, Volume 1” New York: Routledge, 1994, p 30-150

McLanahan, Sara and Sandefur, Gary D. “Growing Up With A Single Parent: What Hurts, What Helps” USA: Harvard University Press, 1994, p1-100

Moore, Kristin A et al. “Choice and Circumstance: Racial Differences in Adolescent Sexuality and Fertility”Transaction Publishers, 1989 p100-105

Walsh, Froma. “Normal Family Processes: Growing Diversity and Complexity”, New York: Guilford Press, 2003, p 120-128

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Guest Essay

The Explosive Rise of Single-Parent Families Is Not a Good Thing

By Melissa S. Kearney

Ms. Kearney is the author of the forthcoming book “The Two-Parent Privilege: How Americans Stopped Getting Married and Started Falling Behind.”

There has been a huge transformation in the way children are raised in the United States: the erosion of the convention of raising children inside a two-parent home. This shift is often not publicly challenged or lamented, in an effort to be inclusive of a diversity of family arrangements. But this well-meaning acceptance obscures the critical reality that this change is hurting our children and our society.

The share of American children living with married parents has dropped considerably: In 2019, only 63 percent lived with married parents, down from 77 percent in 1980. Cohabitation hardly makes up for the difference in these figures. Roughly a quarter of children live in a one-parent home, more than in any other country for which data is available. Despite a small rise in two-parent homes since 2012, the overall trend persists.

This is not a positive development. The evidence is overwhelming: Children from single-parent homes have more behavioral problems, are more likely to get in trouble in school or with the law, achieve lower levels of education and tend to earn lower incomes in adulthood. Boys from homes without dads present are particularly prone to getting in trouble in school or with the law.

Making the trend particularly worrisome is the wide class divide underneath it. In my research, I found that college-educated parents have largely continued to have and raise their children in two-parent homes. It is parents with less than a four-year college degree who have moved away from marriage, and two-parent homes, in large numbers. Only 60 percent of children who live with mothers who graduated from high school, or who have some college education but did not graduate, lived with married parents in 2020, a whopping 23 percentage point drop since 1980. Again, cohabitation does not erase the education divide. Neither does looking at the numbers across race and ethnic groups.

The result is less economic security for affected households and even wider inequality across households and childhood environments than economic changes would have wrought alone.

College-educated adults have seen their earnings rise over recent decades, and they have continued to get married at relatively high rates, typically to one another. Their household income has grown considerably. Meanwhile, adults without a college degree have experienced declining rates of employment and relatively modest increases in wages, while becoming more likely to set up households without a spouse or a partner. As a result of the decline in marriage, the economic security of the high-school educated has weakened even more.

A higher level of income is a key mechanism through which married parents transmit advantages to their children. One-parent homes generally do not have the same income as two-parent homes, even when we compare the homes of mothers of the same age, education level, race and state of residence. This largely reflects a simple fact of math: Two adults have the capacity to earn more than one. Even if one thinks, as I do, that the United States should provide more support to low-income families with children in order to help children thrive and also to secure a stronger work force and future for our country, we will most likely never have a government program that fully compensates single parents with the equivalent of the annual earnings of a spouse who works full-time.

Congress allowed the expanded child tax credit to expire at the end of 2021, rejecting a policy that provided families who met certain income thresholds with annual tax credits of $3,000 per child age 6 to 18 and $3,600 per child under 6. What are the odds that the government will start providing one-parent families with, say, benefits equal to the median earnings of an adult with a high school degree, which comes to around $44,000 a year? I would put the odds at zero. As long as that’s the case, income gaps between one- and two-parent homes will be substantial, and income matters a lot for kids’ prospects and futures.

Income differences are not the only driver of differences in outcomes. A second committed adult in the home can contribute considerable time and energy to taking care of children. We can and should do more as a society to try to compensate for these gaps in parental investments. But again, it is highly unlikely that government or community programs could ever provide children from one-parent homes with a comparable amount of the supervision, nurturing, guidance or help that children from healthy two-parent homes receive. That means a generation of children will grow up more likely to get in trouble and less likely to reach their potential than if they had the benefits of two parents in their homes.

It is an economic imperative to break the vicious cycle of a widening class gap in family structure — and more generally, a high share of one-parent homes outside all but the most highly educated groups in society.

That won’t be easy to do. For decades, academics, journalists and advocates have taken a “live and let live” view of family structure. Mostly this reflects a well-intentioned effort to avoid stigmatizing single mothers and to promote acceptance and respect for different family arrangements. But benign intentions have obscured the uncomfortable reality that children do better when they are raised in two-parent homes.

The result is the widespread normalization of one-parent homes outside the college-educated class and woefully little public support for programs aimed at strengthening families. Only 1 percent of the budget of the federal Administration for Children and Families is allocated to “promoting safe and stable families,” as compared to, for example, 15 percent for foster care.

On the other side of the issue, there are people inclined to blame single mothers for having or raising children outside of marriage. But it is not helpful to blame or shame women who are faced with the difficult choice between parenting alone or living with a partner who is an economic or emotional drain on the family. Surely we as a society can openly recognize the advantages of a two-parent home for children and offer a variety of kinds of support to couples who struggle to achieve a stable two-parent family arrangement without stigmatizing single parents and their children. Crucially, we need to bolster parents’ own capacity to thrive and be reliable providers for themselves and their children — including fathers, who were often left out of the conversation.

The issue is complicated, and solutions will necessarily be multifaceted. Just as scholars, journalists and policymakers acknowledge the need to improve schools and debate various reform ideas, those of us who discuss and debate questions of society and policy should be frank about the advantages of a healthy two-parent home for children and challenge ourselves to come up with ways to promote and support that institution.

We need to work more to understand why so many American parents are raising their children without a second parent in the home, and we must find effective ways to strengthen families in order to increase the share of children raised in healthy, stable two-parent homes. Doing so will improve the well-being of millions of children, help close class gaps and create a stronger society for us all.

Melissa S. Kearney is an economics professor at the University of Maryland and author of the forthcoming book “ The Two-Parent Privilege: How Americans Stopped Getting Married and Started Falling Behind .”

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Home > Departments and Schools > English, Literature, and Modern Languages > The Idea of an Essay > Vol. 3 (2016)

The Struggles of the Single Parent College Student

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About the author.

Hannah David is a college senior with a double major in Journalism and Political Science. She is the honored mother of seven-year-old Bella. Hannah is a classically trained dancer. She dedicated over a decade to the performing arts as a professional actress and ballerina before leaving her home state of Hawaii to attend college. Hannah has always valued writing, and she enjoys using her life experiences as the foundation of her literary craft.

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David, Hannah (2016) "The Struggles of the Single Parent College Student," The Idea of an Essay : Vol. 3, Article 29. Available at: https://digitalcommons.cedarville.edu/idea_of_an_essay/vol3/iss1/29

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The Single Parent Household Scholarship is available to underserved students who were either raised in a single-parent household, or who are single parents themselves. Students who are involved in their community or workplace and demonstrate financial need are welcome to apply.

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The Challenges of Parenting While in College

New research links support and health for undergraduate student parents..

Posted June 30, 2018

• A Parent's Role
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College is challenging. Parenting is challenging. Those who succeed at doing both at the same time tend to have help from strong family and friend support networks. Research now available highlights the role of social support and stress in the physical health of college students who are also parents.

Nearly 5 million undergraduate students are also parents in the United States. Of those student parents, only 26 percent earn their degree within six years. Many of the others leave university for lower paying jobs. Some reasons for leaving college early include not having a strong enough support system including friends and family that can pitch in and help when the student parent needs to stay late on campus or when a child is sick. Others cannot overcome the financial burden of paying for college while raising a child. Many student parents work extra jobs when they are not in class to make ends meet. Many suffer from significant stress that is compounded by juggling two major life transitions at once: becoming a college student and becoming a new parent.

Drs. Eve Gerrard and Ron Roberts found that some student parents question why they are putting themselves and their families through this stress and whether a college degree is really worth it. Since being a student parent often means not doing either role to the best of their abilities, some student parents wonder whether the sacrifices they are making to their education and their children will pay off in the end.

As communication scientists, we recognize the importance of a strong social support network in handling and overcoming challenges in any life stage, but especially when attending college while raising young children. Social network members like family, friends, and others who care can offer instrumental support like parenting advice or study tips. They can also offer tangible support like tuition money or a place to stay. When people receive enough good support, they are better off physically, mentally, and socially.

In a recent study from the Family Communication and Relationships Lab published in Health Communication , my colleague, Dr. Kristina Scharp, and I set out to discover how the costs of seeking support influence the health of undergraduate student parents . Costs of seeking support can be both intrapersonal and interpersonal and occur when people feel stigmatized or distressed about asking for help. It is easy to imagine a new parent who wants to appear confident and like they have they have everything under control may not want to ask for help. Having to ask for help may be intrapersonally costly if it lowers the person’s self-esteem or makes them worry about their ability to solve problems. Interpersonal support costs happen when the person thinks they will looks weak or incompetent to others, or they worry about how others will react to their request for help. For example, if new parents believe they should be able to handle the stress of a new baby and should naturally know how to be “good parents,” they may fear that others will look down on them for needing help. We found that the higher the costs student parents reported they felt, the worse their physical health. Student parents who perceived high costs to seeking support had more headaches, slept less, and exercised less than parents who reported lower costs.

Second, we wanted to understand how the amount of support a student parent desired influenced his/her physical health. People differ in how much support they want from their networks. Here we examined a type of support that relies on communication: social presence support. Social presence support captures the amount of support a person believes they have available to them. When a sibling tells a new parent “I am here for you if you need anything,” they are providing social presence support. Social presence support is about knowing support is available if needed, not about how much is actually given. Social presence was not directly associated with poor physical health in our study, but it was linked to parenting stress suggesting that desiring more social presence support than a student parent is getting contributes to higher parenting stress.

Finally, we tested whether college-based stress and parenting-based stress negatively influenced the physical health of student parents. Like we expected, the student parents in our study who experienced high levels of parenting and academic stress had worse health outcomes. For example, these parents were sleeping and exercising less than their peers who did not experience such high stress.

The major takeaway from our study is that friends and family can make a significant difference in the lives of college students who are also parents . Student parents who feel supported and are not afraid to ask for help are less stressed and in better physical health. Friends and family can remind student parents often that they are there for them and that it is normal to not have everything under control and figured out all the time. Friends and family can explicitly say that the student parent is not expected to be a perfect parent or raise his/her children on her/his own. As the saying goes, it takes a village . This is especially true when raising a child and earning a college degree.

Scharp, K. M. & Dorrance Hall, E. (online first). Examining the relationship between undergraduate student parent social support seeking factors, stress, and somatic symptoms: A two-model comparison of direct and indirect effects. Health Communication. doi: 10.1080/10410236.2017.1384427

Gault, B., Reichlin, L., Reynolds, E., & Froehner, M. (2014). 4.8 million college students are raising children. Institute for Women’s Policy Research Fact Sheet, #C424, 1–2.

Gerrard, E., & Roberts, R. (2006). Student parents, hardship and debt: A qualitative study. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 30, 393–403. doi:10.1080/03098770600965409

Sarason, I. G., & Sarason, B. R. (2009). Social support: Mapping the construct. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 26, 113–120. doi:10.1177/0265407509105526

Uchino, B. N. (2009). Understanding the links between social support and physical health: A life-span perspective with emphasis on the separability of perceived and received support. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 4, 236–255. doi:10.1111/j.1745-6924.2009.011

Elizabeth Dorrance Hall, Ph.D. , is an Assistant Professor of Communication, Michigan State University and Director, Family Communication and Relationships Lab.

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Best Psychology Essay Examples

Single parent essay.

255 words | 1 page(s)

Growing up with a single parent is not an easy process for both, a child and a parent, given the potential behavioural and social consequences in the living environment. Currently, more than half of the children of this generation grow up with a single parent or start living with a single parent once their parents split up during the course of their upbringing. Their social backgrounds often differ, but an issue remains common for the majority of people.

The process of bringing up a child in a family with a single parent is not easy. Very often, parents question what would be the best strategies for ensuring that a child grows up healthy and mentally stable. The key question while living in a family with a single parent is whether parents’ gender will influence on the gender of a child and what are the necessary aspects to address while educating a child.

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From the child perspective, the process of being grown up in a family with a single parent is not easy either. Some children may face certain psychological issues and be unsure of how their lives should be bullied; others might be bullied at schools. What is more important in that respect is that parents not always understand the whole complexity of issues that their children may face.

To sum up, the implications of growing in a family with a single parent is not an easy process neither for children nor for parents. That is why all these factors should be taken into account.

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College Essay: My Parents’ Sacrifice Makes Me Strong

After living in Texas briefly, my mom moved in with my aunt in Minnesota, where she helped raise my cousins while my aunt and uncle worked. My mom still glances to the building where she first lived. I think it’s amazing how she first moved here, she lived in a small apartment and now owns a house. 

My dad’s family was poor. He dropped out of elementary school to work. My dad was the only son my grandpa had. My dad thought he was responsible to help his family out, so he decided to leave for Minnesota   because  of  many  work opportunities .   

My parents met working in cleaning at the IDS  C enter during night shifts. I am their only child, and their main priority was not leaving me alone while they worked. My mom left her cleaning job to work mornings at a warehouse. My dad continued his job in cleaning at night.   

My dad would get me ready for school and walked me to the bus stop while waiting in the cold. When I arrived home from school, my dad had dinner prepared and the house cleaned. I would eat with him at the table while watching TV, but he left after to pick up my mom from work.   

My mom would get home in the afternoon. Most memories of my mom are watching her lying down on the couch watching her  n ovelas  –  S panish soap operas  – a nd falling asleep in the living room. I knew her job was physically tiring, so I didn’t bother her.  

Seeing my parents work hard and challenge Mexican customs influence my values today as a person. As a child, my dad cooked and cleaned, to help out my mom, which is rare in Mexican culture. Conservative Mexicans believe men are superior to women; women are seen as housewives who cook, clean and obey their husbands. My parents constantly tell me I should get an education to never depend on a man. My family challenged  machismo , Mexican sexism, by creating their own values and future.  

My parents encouraged me to, “ ponte  las  pilas ” in school, which translates to “put on your batteries” in English. It means that I should put in effort and work into achieving my goal. I was taught that school is the key object in life. I stay up late to complete all my homework assignments, because of this I miss a good amount of sleep, but I’m willing to put in effort to have good grades that will benefit me. I have softball practice right after school, so I try to do nearly all of my homework ahead of time, so I won’t end up behind.  

My parents taught me to set high standards for myself. My school operates on a 4.0-scale. During lunch, my friends talked joyfully about earning a 3.25 on a test. When I earn less than a 4.25, I feel disappointed. My friends reacted with, “You should be happy. You’re extra . ” Hearing that phrase flashbacks to my parents seeing my grades. My mom would pressure me to do better when I don’t earn all 4.0s  

Every once in  awhile , I struggled with following their value of education. It can be difficult to balance school, sports and life. My parents think I’m too young to complain about life. They don’t think I’m tired, because I don’t physically work, but don’t understand that I’m mentally tired and stressed out. It’s hard for them to understand this because they didn’t have the experience of going to school.   

The way I could thank my parents for their sacrifice is accomplishing their American dream by going to college and graduating to have a professional career. I visualize the day I graduate college with my degree, so my  family  celebrates by having a carne  asada (BBQ) in the yard. All my friends, relatives, and family friends would be there to congratulate me on my accomplishments.  

As teenagers, my parents worked hard manual labor jobs to be able to provide for themselves and their family. Both of them woke up early in the morning to head to work. Staying up late to earn extra cash. As teenagers, my parents tried going to school here in the U.S .  but weren’t able to, so they continued to work. Early in the morning now, my dad arrives home from work at 2:30 a.m .,  wakes up to drop me off at school around 7:30 a.m . , so I can focus on studying hard to earn good grades. My parents want me to stay in school and not prefer work to  head on their  same path as them. Their struggle influences me to have a good work ethic in school and go against the odds.  

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