single parent

Parent who is responsible for raising children alone. Of single parents, 80–90 % are women. Some women choose to have children on their own but the majority become single parents after separation or the death of their partner.

Numbers, UK and USA In the UK, single-parent families increased from 8% of families in 1971 to 21% in 1992. Between 1970 and 1995, the number of single parents in the USA doubled. One in three households in the USA (14.9 million, 1995) is headed by a single parent; together these parents care for over 16 million children, or 40% of the children in the country.

In the USA 66% of fathers did not pay child support in 1994, as they were unable to. According to the US Census Bureau 59% of US children will live in single-parent homes at least once during their childhood years.

Problems Bringing up children alone means that there is only one income and only one person to manage the home. This can place stress on the parent and the child, and finding suitable and affordable childcare is often a problem. Many children of single parents suffer emotional and behavioural problems and experience feelings of loss and anger. Children growing up with only one of their biological parents are twice as likely to drop out of school and three times as likely to have a child of their own outside marriage. Children can, however, benefit from increased levels of responsibility.