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Author: Valerie Polakow Publisher: University of Chicago Press ISBN: 0226671844 Category : Social Science Languages : en Pages : 232
Book Description
Lives on the Edge offers a penetrating, deeply disturbing look into the other America inhabited by single mothers and their children. Its powerful and moving portraits force us to confront the poverty, destitution, and struggle for survival that await single mothers in one of the richest nations in the world. One in five children and one in two single mothers live in destitution today. The feminization and "infantilization" of poverty have made the United States one of the most dangerous democracies for poor mothers and their children to inhabit. Why then, Valerie Polakow asks, is poverty seen as a private affair - "their problem, not ours" - and how can public policy fail to take responsibility for the consequences of our politics of distribution? Searching for an answer, Polakow considers the historical and ideological sources for society's attitudes toward single mothers and their children, and shows how our dominant images of "normal" families and motherhood have shaped our perceptions, practices, and public policies. Polakow's account traces the historical legacy of discrimination against the "dangerous classes" and the "undeserving poor" - a legacy that culminates in the current public hostility towards welfare recipients. Polakow moves beyond the cold voice of statistics to take us into the daily lives of single mothers and their children. The stories of young black teenage mothers, of white single mothers, of homeless mothers are presented with clarity and quiet power. In a detailed look inside the classroom worlds of their children, Polakow explores what life is like if one is very young and poor, and consigned to otherness in the landscape of school. School is a place thatmatters - it is also a place where children are defined as "at risk" or "at promise". Polakow's astute analysis of poor children's pedagogy provides a critical challenge to educators. Written by an educator and committed child advocate, Lives on the Edge draws on social, historical, feminist, and public policy perspectives to develop an informed, wide-ranging critique of American educational and social policy. Polakow's recommendations in the areas of social policy and education point to useful cross-cultural models as well as successful small-scale programs in place in the United States. Yet Polakow constantly reminds us that "small facts speak to large issues". By providing us with a living sense of the other America, she helps us to realize that "their" America is no "other" than ours. Stark, penetrating, and unflinching, this work challenges our cherished myths of justice and democracy.
Author: Valerie Polakow Publisher: University of Chicago Press ISBN: 0226671844 Category : Social Science Languages : en Pages : 232
Book Description
Lives on the Edge offers a penetrating, deeply disturbing look into the other America inhabited by single mothers and their children. Its powerful and moving portraits force us to confront the poverty, destitution, and struggle for survival that await single mothers in one of the richest nations in the world. One in five children and one in two single mothers live in destitution today. The feminization and "infantilization" of poverty have made the United States one of the most dangerous democracies for poor mothers and their children to inhabit. Why then, Valerie Polakow asks, is poverty seen as a private affair - "their problem, not ours" - and how can public policy fail to take responsibility for the consequences of our politics of distribution? Searching for an answer, Polakow considers the historical and ideological sources for society's attitudes toward single mothers and their children, and shows how our dominant images of "normal" families and motherhood have shaped our perceptions, practices, and public policies. Polakow's account traces the historical legacy of discrimination against the "dangerous classes" and the "undeserving poor" - a legacy that culminates in the current public hostility towards welfare recipients. Polakow moves beyond the cold voice of statistics to take us into the daily lives of single mothers and their children. The stories of young black teenage mothers, of white single mothers, of homeless mothers are presented with clarity and quiet power. In a detailed look inside the classroom worlds of their children, Polakow explores what life is like if one is very young and poor, and consigned to otherness in the landscape of school. School is a place thatmatters - it is also a place where children are defined as "at risk" or "at promise". Polakow's astute analysis of poor children's pedagogy provides a critical challenge to educators. Written by an educator and committed child advocate, Lives on the Edge draws on social, historical, feminist, and public policy perspectives to develop an informed, wide-ranging critique of American educational and social policy. Polakow's recommendations in the areas of social policy and education point to useful cross-cultural models as well as successful small-scale programs in place in the United States. Yet Polakow constantly reminds us that "small facts speak to large issues". By providing us with a living sense of the other America, she helps us to realize that "their" America is no "other" than ours. Stark, penetrating, and unflinching, this work challenges our cherished myths of justice and democracy.
Author: Bella DePaulo Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform ISBN: 9781514851753 Category : Languages : en Pages : 80
Book Description
"Single Parents and Their Children" is a myth-busting, consciousness-raising collection of articles that defies all of the stereotypes that diminish and degrade single-parent families. Drawing from scientific research, Dr. Bella DePaulo shows that the dire predictions about the fate of the children of single parents are grossly exaggerated or just plain wrong. What's more, there are ways in which the children of single parents are doing better than everyone else. That's the good news no one ever tells you. Professor DePaulo has been described by Atlantic magazine as "America's foremost thinker and writer on the single experience." This book includes more than a dozen of her most influential writings on single parents and their children. Essays inspired by the daughter of a single mother and guest articles by independent parent Tricia Parker are also featured. Bella DePaulo's articles originally appeared in her popular "Living Single" blog at Psychology Today and her "Single at Heart" blog at PsychCentral, as well as in the Guardian.
Author: Sara McLanahan Publisher: Harvard University Press ISBN: 9780674040861 Category : Family & Relationships Languages : en Pages : 214
Book Description
Nonwhite and white, rich and poor, born to an unwed mother or weathering divorce, over half of all children in the current generation will live in a single-parent family--and these children simply will not fare as well as their peers who live with both parents. This is the clear and urgent message of this powerful book. Based on four national surveys and drawing on more than a decade of research, Growing Up with a Single Parent sharply demonstrates the connection between family structure and a child's prospects for success. What are the chances that the child of a single parent will graduate from high school, go on to college, find and keep a job? Will she become a teenage mother? Will he be out of school and out of work? These are the questions the authors pursue across the spectrum of race, gender, and class. Children whose parents live apart, the authors find, are twice as likely to drop out of high school as those in two-parent families, one and a half times as likely to be idle in young adulthood, twice as likely to become single parents themselves. This study shows how divorce--particularly an attendant drop in income, parental involvement, and access to community resources--diminishes children's chances for well-being. The authors provide answers to other practical questions that many single parents may ask: Does the gender of the child or the custodial parent affect these outcomes? Does having a stepparent, a grandmother, or a nonmarital partner in the household help or hurt? Do children who stay in the same community after divorce fare better? Their data reveal that some of the advantages often associated with being white are really a function of family structure, and that some of the advantages associated with having educated parents evaporate when those parents separate. In a concluding chapter, McLanahan and Sandefur offer clear recommendations for rethinking our current policies. Single parents are here to stay, and their worsening situation is tearing at the fabric of our society. It is imperative, the authors show, that we shift more of the costs of raising children from mothers to fathers and from parents to society at large. Likewise, we must develop universal assistance programs that benefit low-income two-parent families as well as single mothers. Startling in its findings and trenchant in its analysis, Growing Up with a Single Parent will serve to inform both the personal decisions and governmental policies that affect our children's--and our nation's--future.
Author: Janis Adams Publisher: Atlantic Publishing Company ISBN: 1601383975 Category : Family & Relationships Languages : en Pages : 290
Book Description
Recent statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau show there are 9.9 million single mothers in the United States. This number is up from only 3.4 million in 1970, showing that single motherhood is more common than ever. For every mother recently finding herself single, or new moms learning how to raise their first child by themselves, there are countless things any mother will need to know. Single motherhood presents innumerable situations that are much harder to handle without the helping hands of a second parent nearby. But one of the best ways to prepare yourself for success as a single mother is to arm yourself with knowledge about what to expect with single parenting. A Complete Guide for Single Moms: Everything You Need to Know About Raising Healthy, Happy Children on Your Own is for every mother who is learning how to raise children on her own. Regardless of how you came to be a single mom whether it was through divorce, the end of a relationship, surrogacy, adoption, unplanned pregnancy, or by the death of a spouse this book will walk you through the information you need to know to help you and your child adjust to a new lifestyle. The book covers what to do when pregnant and single and how to rely on your family and friends for support and help. You will learn the basics of early childcare, including what a child needs in its first year, from breastfeeding and nappies, to clothing and travel. You will learn what to expect as your child grows, including the early years of school and the problematic teenage years. This book teaches you how to take care of yourself in addition to your children, which includes knowing how to find rest and work your way back into dating. You will learn how to prepare yourself for the sacrifices you will be forced to make and how to handle financial matters while raising a child alone. Even the difficult topics are covered, such as the first times you must discuss with your child why his or her father is not present. You will learn when you can fill in as a father figure, when you cannot, and what you can do to provide the male influence and support children need during those formative years. If your child s father is involved, this book will teach you how to work with him. You will learn how to raise a boy as a single mother and find positive role models for your children. We have conducted multiple interviews with successful single mothers, as well as with experts in child care, to provide a comprehensive outlook on everything you can expect as a single parent on your own from the first few weeks of stress to the later years of toilet training, proper diet, allergies, health care, and learning to talk. From conception to graduation, the life of a single mother is a trying, challenging road to travel. With this guide in hand, you will have what you need to raise a healthy, happy family.
Author: Irwin Garfinkel Publisher: Washington, D.C. : Urban Institute Press ISBN: Category : Family & Relationships Languages : en Pages : 236
Book Description
The proportion of children living in households headed by single women is more than one in five. There is concern (and some evidence) that children of single parents are less likely to be successful adults. The book discusses the trends in public debate about this problem. In particular, it examines the issue of providing public assistance to such families and whether doing so fosters long-term welfare dependency.
Author: Nieuwenhuis, Rense Publisher: Policy Press ISBN: 1447333640 Category : Political Science Languages : en Pages : 504
Book Description
Available Open Access under CC-BY-NC licence. This book presents evidence from over 40 countries that shows how single parents face a triple bind of inadequate resources, employment and policies, which in combination further complicate their lives.
Author: Janine Turner Publisher: Thomas Nelson ISBN: 1418537624 Category : Family & Relationships Languages : en Pages : 240
Book Description
Life lessons from single mothers throughout history form the inspiration for single mothers today. Single moms are not just a product of our modern culture. There have been single mothers throughout history, women who have raised not only their children but also nations with a higher vision for life. Holding Her Head High recounts stories of twelve such women from the third to the twenty-first centuries, women who found ways to twist their fates to represent God's destiny for their lives. These uniquely powerful, brave women, within the scope of their own world and times, are like the ninety-nine percent of single mothers today who never intended to carry that distinction. They are abandoned, widowed, or divorced, all carrying wounds, yet they also all found ways to exhibit courage, kindness, dignity, and faith to heal themselves by healing others. Actress Janine Turner, herself a single mother, describes the social implications for women and children from the Roman Empire through the Middle Ages to Pioneer days, including a single mother of slavery. Stories from women like Rachel Lavein Fawcett, abandoned single mother of Alexander Hamilton; Abagail Adams, a wartime widow; Harriet Jacobs, an unwed mother of slavery whose autobiography was published the year the Civil War began; and widowed Belva Lockwood, the first woman to officially run for President, all carrying wounds but all offering insight, wisdom, and encouragement. Lessons include: Listen for God's higher calling Hold your head high Dare to dream Champion your children Heal with humor Don't Give Up Before the Miracle
Author: Jane Mattes, L.C.S.W. Publisher: Harmony ISBN: 0812922468 Category : Family & Relationships Languages : en Pages : 274
Book Description
The first handbook for the paoidly growing number of American women choosing single motherhood, written by the director of the national organization, Single Mothers by Choice.
Author: Teresa Whitehurst Publisher: Baker Books ISBN: 9781441213693 Category : Family & Relationships Languages : en Pages : 190
Book Description
Written by a psychologist who's successfully navigated single motherhood herself, this book helps single moms believe they and their families deserve the best life has to offer. Packed with practical tips, smart strategies, and ways to improve the well-being of single moms and their children, this book shows single moms how to improve their leadership and parenting skills. It tackles pressing issues such as self-care, a support network, organizing, finances, discipline, and more. Teresa Whitehurst reminds single moms that they don't need to be overwhelmed and that God loves them, is on their side, and wants to guide and support them every step of the way. While they may get weary, they need never feel alone.
Author: Valerie Polakow
Author: Valerie Polakow
Author: Bella DePaulo
Author: Sara McLanahan
Author: Janis Adams
Author: Irwin Garfinkel
Author: Nieuwenhuis, Rense
Author: Janine Turner
Author: Naomi R. Cahn
Author: Jane Mattes, L.C.S.W.
Author: Teresa Whitehurst