Mothers of America

Does Single Motherhood Harm Children?

Children who grow up with only one of their biological parents (nearly always the mother) are disadvantaged across a broad array of outcomes. high school, 2.5 times as likely to become teen mothers, and 1.4 times as likely to be idle — out of school and out of work — as children who grow up with both parents. Children in one-parent families also have lower grade point averages, lower college aspirations, and poorer attendance records. As adults, they have higher rates of divorce. These patterns persist even after adjusting for differences in race, parents’ education, number of siblings, and residential location..

Children from white middle-class families are not immune from the effects of family disruption. Consider the children of families where one parent has at least some college education. If the parents live apart, the probability that their children will drop out of high school rises by 11 percentage points. And for every child who actually drops out of school, there are likely to be three or four more whose performance is affected even though they manage to graduate.

College performance may also suffer. The college graduation rate for white children from advantaged backgrounds is about 9 percentage points lower among children of disrupted families than among children of two-parent families (53 percent versus 62 percent). At the other end of the continuum, children from disadvantaged backgrounds (neither parent graduated from high school) have a bleak future, regardless of whether they live with one or both parents.

Does Marriage Matter?

Kristin Maschka worked long hours at an Internet start-up; her husband was trying to make partner at his law firm. When Kristin was told she had to work full time, she reluctantly decided to stay home full time with baby Kate, despite the possible impact on her career ambitions. Several mothers' groups are calling for government benefits to reward at-home caregiving. But their embryonic movement faces a backlash from childless workers, who resent subsidizing parents with benefits like paid parental leave. (Robert Hitchcock)

Some of the current debate presumes that being born to unmarried parents is more harmful than experiencing parents’ divorce and that children of divorced parents do better if their mother remarries. Our evidence suggests otherwise. – Children born to unmarried parents are slightly more likely to drop out of school and become teen mothers than children born to married parents who divorce. But the difference is small compared to the difference between these two groups of children and children who grow up with both parents. What matters for children is not whether their parents are married when they are born, but whether their parents live together while the children are growing up.

Children who grow up with widowed mothers, in contrast, fare better than children in other types of single-parent families, especially on measures of educational achievement. Remarriage is another instance where the conventional wisdom is wrong. Children of step-families don’t do better than children of mothers who never remarry. Despite significantly higher family income and the presence of two parents, the average child in a step-family has about the same chance of dropping out of high school as the average child in a one-parent family.

What Accounts for Poor Outcomes?

All of the numbers reported in the tables shown have been adjusted for differences in family background characteristics such as race, parents’ education, family size, and place of residence. Thus the parents’ socioeconomic status cannot explain why children from one-parent families are doing worse. – Family disruption also reduces the time parents spend with children and the control they have over them. When parents live apart, children see their fathers a lot less. Another 35 percent see them only on a weekly basis. Mothers often find their authority undermined by the separation and consequently have more difficulty controlling their children. One survey asked high school students whether their parents helped them with their school work and supervised their social activities. Students whose parents separated between the sophomore and senior years reported a loss of involvement and supervision compared to students whose parents stayed together.

Family disruption also undermines children’s access to community resources. Divorce and remarriage often precipitate moves out of a community, disrupting children’s relationships with peers, teachers, and other adults. During middle childhood and early adolescence, a child in a stable family experiences, on average, 1.4 moves. The average child in a single-parent family experiences 2.7 moves; in a stepfamily, the average child experiences 3.4 moves.

The graph on “Income and Divorce” shows how the loss of economic resources can account for differences between children in one- and two-parent families. The first bar shows the baseline difference between children whose parents divorced during adolescence and children whose parents remained married. The second and third bars show the difference, after adjusting for pre- and post-divorce income (income at age 12 and 17). Loss of economic resources accounts for about 50 percent of the disadvantages associated with single parenthood. Too little parental supervision and involvement and greater residential mobility account for most of the rest.
. Many single mothers find the night and weekend work required for advancement incompatible with raising children. Indeed, two out of every three American mothers ages 25-45 work less than 40 hours a week, including those who work part-time and those who stay home full time. 1

Whether they’re single moms by choice, divorce or heartbreaking loss, meet famous single parent families and find out how celebs like Madonna, Sandra Bullock and Reese Witherspoon juggle the single life with kids.

Sandra Bullock

We already knew actress Sandra Bullock had three stepkids from her marriage to Jesse James. But things changed quickly this year: first she won the Oscar for her role in The Blind Side, then discovered that her husband was cheating and subsequently filed for divorce, and finally revealed that she’d secretly adopted a baby boy, Louis Bardo, from New Orleans. All new moms deal with change, but Bullock handled life’s curveballs with grace—a trait that will make her a great mom.

Halle Berry

Proof that beauty doesn’t always bring happiness, actress Halle Barry has been through two rocky marriages, so we were thrilled to hear her announce some good news in 2007: that she was pregnant by equally gorgeous model boyfriend Gabriel Aubrey. The couple welcomed daughter Nahla in 2008, but split in 2010, promising to keep things amicable for their daughter.

Kate Winslet

The Oscar-winning actress surprised everyone when she announced her separation from director husband Sam Mendes. Both called the split “extremely amicable” and it certainly looks that way since they since been seen together with the kids, Mia (Winslet’s daughter from a previous marriage) and Joe.

Kate Hudson

After splitting with rocker Chris Robinson in 2006, and dating hot bachelors like Alex Rodriguez, Lance Armstrong and Owen Wilson, the number one man in actress Kate Hudson’s life has always been her son Ryder. Hudson and Robinson are still close; “For both Chris and me, our main focus is, and was, Ryder. And happy parents, happy baby,” she told People magazine.

Michelle Williams

Single parenting is never easy, but it’s got to be extra tough when your child’s father passes away suddenly. Actress Michelle Williams handled the shocking death of her daughter Mathilda’s father, actor Heath Ledger, with poise. She’s tackling single motherhood in Brooklyn, and is often seen hanging around the nabe’s coffee shops.

Katie Couric

Widowed in 1998 when her husband succumbed to colon cancer, TV journalist Katie Couric was left to raise daughters Ellie and Carrie, then ages 6 and 2, alone. Now, with two teenagers and a flourishing career as anchor for CBS Evening News, we think she’s a stellar example for other single moms.

Padma Lakshmi

The gorgeous Top Chef host (and Salman Rushdie ex) stayed quiet about the identity of her baby’s daddy during pregnancy, which she considered a “medical miracle” since she struggles with endometriosis. Soon after the birth of daughter Krishna, the father was revealed to be venture capitalist Adam Dell. We think Lakshmi, author of two cookbooks that emphasize spice, is the mom least likely to have a picky eater.

Minnie Driver

Mom to Henry Story, actress Minnie Driver has likened becoming the first year of parenthood to an “insane earthquake.” The actress and singer has kept mum on the identity and relationship of Henry’s father, but she did reveal that she goes online to get parenting advice from other moms.

Denise Richards

After a very public, very nasty divorce with Charlie Sheen, actress Denise Richards was granted full custody of daughters Sam and Lola in 2010, making her a single mom who calls all the shots. Richards seems to be a very hands-on mom, hanging with her kids at the playground and taking them to camp—a far cry from her days as a sexy Bond Girl.

Liv Tyler

The Armageddon and Lord of the Rings star may not be racking up compliments from ex husband rocker Royston Langdon anymore, but she does have a special guy in her life to remind her how beautiful she is—her son Milo, born in December 2004. “He likes to call me his princess. He says, ‘Oh, Mommy, you’re so cute. You’re my precious, precious mommy,’” she told People. Aw.

Kate Moss

Supermodel Kate Moss may be known for her high-profile fashion lifestyle, but to daughter Lila Grace, she’s just mom. The two live in a $19 million townhouse in London, and we’re pretty sure Kate gets major “cool mom” points for the karaoke birthday party she planned for Lila’s 7th birthday, as well as her killer wardrobe.

Britney Spears

Brit’s track record isn’t great, but after hitting some major lows she’s built herself back up. After losing guardianship of her boys Sean Preston and Jayden James to ex Kevin Federline, the pop princess cleaned up her act and now can be seen taking her boys to the zoo or karate class.

Sheryl Crow

Looks like Sheryl Crow finally found someone strong enough to be her man – son Wyatt Steven Crow. Cyclist Lance Armstrong split with the singer/songwriter when she wanted to have kids and he didn’t. After surviving a battle with breast cancer, Crow adopted son Wyatt, who goes on the road with her and already loves music, in May ’07, and in June ’10 announced that she adopted baby boy Levi James, born April 30.

Mary Louise Parker

The Weeds star is mom to William, age 6, and Caroline, age 3, who she adopted from Africa. Parker has been mum on her break-up with Billy Crudup, whom she split with when she was 7 months pregnant – but is not afraid to open up about dating as a single mom. “Some men are daunted by it, some are really attracted. I had someone ask, ‘Does this mean we can’t go out anytime we want?’ And I said, ‘Yes, that’s exactly what it means. It means you come fourth, ’cause it’s my kids, my job, my family.’ I don’t ever want to come first to anyone. It’s too much pressure,” she told More.

Kate Gosselin

Say what you will about reality TV star Kate Gosselin, but raising 8 kids without a live-in partner (even with a live-in partner) cannot be easy. Add in an ugly divorce, drama from her ex-husband and paparazzi following her every move—and it’s easy to understand why the stress of it all gets to her.

Be proud of your mom no matter what because…

“Hey MOM, We are proud of you no matter what” – #JenniferGarner

Does Single Motherhood Harm Children?

Does Marriage Matter?

What Accounts for Poor Outcomes?

Consequences of being a Single Mother

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Kids of Single Moms Are PROUD of Their Moms