The Plight of Single Moms

Single parents are becoming a new norm. And that single parent is overwhelmingly a mother with a job. Single parenthood is a result of urbanization. Over the years the media has portrayed the single parent household as one of great hardship, both psychologically and financially, and as often times being harmful to the futures of the children living in them. Single mothers, in particular, have been subject to numerous verbal attacks where they are looked down upon and at times demonized for not being able to provide for their family and establish a stable household.

It requires attention, effort, intention and strong communication. These women feel they carry the weight of the relationship, do most of the emotional work and constantly have to find new and novel things to do to keep the relationship alive,” she said. “It gets frustrating when they don’t receive equal care in return. Most women do not want a divorce. This adds an extreme amount of undue pressure on her. This means that women actually have two jobs. Whilst at the same time she is screaming for help.

Women want to feel appreciated. They do not want to come second or third. When they talk, they want to feel heard. At one time, there was love in the relationship. Arguments begin and communication breaks down. Oftentimes the woman will try anything to make her marriage work. Once they were married she felt like she was walking around in a haze: “I had lost my sense of self.

I didn’t want my kids to grow up seeing me that way. They deserve more than that. Men feel close to their wives through intimacy. Women like to be both known and heard. Love does not equal control over one’s spouse. Remember the adage, “happy wife, happy life.”

Women often criticize men for their fear of commitment. Perhaps we are anxious to commit because it is more likely that our partners will eventually be the ones bailing out of this “lifelong” partnership, not us. But then, in other respects, men often have themselves to blame.

On the other hand, I think that non-marital relationships lack the historical baggage and expectations of marriage, which makes the non-marital relationships more flexible and therefore more adaptable to modern expectations, including women’s expectations for more gender equality.

Regardless of how family diversity is viewed, the increase in and prevalence of families headed by one parent has a major influence on the social, economic, and political context of family life. The fact remains that despite of the absence of one parent, the child still have a chance to succeed in life.

Thus, being a single parent should be something to be proud of.