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Single mothers in the US More mothers in the United States are working today than ever before. In 1993, 58 % of mothers with children under the age of six, and nearly 75 % of those with children between the ages of six and eighteen were part of the paid labor force. The rapid influx of women into the labor force that began in the 1970 s was marked by the confidence of many women in their ability to successfully maintain both a career and a family. Throughout the 1970 s and 1980 s the dominant image of the working mother was the Supermom, juggling meetings, reports, and presentations with birthday parties, science projects, and soccer games. Due to known social changes in family functioning in American society including influence of feminism and new economic opportunities for every adult, the term single mother or single parenting became very common. The number of single mothers, who are dependent solely on their own income, is steadily increasing.
According to the latest data 82 % of single mothers are working full time, comparing to 71 % in 1993 (Polakow, 23). Although in actual circumstances contemporary adults have more opportunities to lift themselves out of poverty, there are many challenges single mothers face now. The majority of sociologists and psychologists have common opinion regarding the division of main problems that are confronted by single mothers. The first set of challenges is very peculiar to every family itself.
For instance, all children feel some hostility toward their parents as they try to be independent. However, these problems may seem more difficult to bear or manage when mother is alone. When the anger and rebellion are all directed to one person, it may seem worse if there is only one to bear it, not two to share it. Additionally, there are some special problems that single parents have which make it difficult to raise children. These include bitterness toward the absent parent, loneliness, poverty, and insecurity about raising children without help. For these and other reasons, single parents sometimes cling to their children or overindulge them.
The children may not get chances to be with other adults or other children as much as they need to. Working single mothers in many fields experience conflicts between motherhood and professional advancement. Many report that their professional aspirations are not taken as seriously by colleagues or superiors once they have children. In particular, if they quit working for a time to stay home with their children, the gap in their resumes is regarded with suspicion. One study found that the earnings of women with MBAs who took even nine months off after their children were born were still 17 % lower 10 years later than those of employees with similar qualifications but no comparable gap in their employment record (Swiss, 89). Some women feel too threatened by the repercussions of time off the job to even take a maternity leave; others report problems on reentering the workforce after such a leave.
Single mothers working in highly competitive professions are especially reluctant to lighten their work loads or schedules for fear that such measures will signal a lower level of commitment or ability than that of their peers. Given the failure of either home or workplace demands to ease significantly, working mothers routinely sacrifice time for themselves, and many report high levels of stress, anxiety, and fatigue. In addition, many still feel torn between the conflicting demands of family and career and feel guilty for not being able to spend more time with their children. Increasing numbers of working single mothers also feel responsible for helping their own aging parents as they develop health problems and become less able to handle their own affairs. Dissatisfied with the pressures and sacrifices of combining single mothering with full-time work, many women have sought alternatives that allow them to relax the hectic pace of their lives but still maintain jobs and careers (Gerson, 33). According to one study, the number of companies offering some type of employment flexibility to their workers rose from 51 % in 1990 to 80 % in 2001 (Polakow, 78).
Fifty-five percent offered flex-time, while 51 % offered part-time work. Single mothers who work part-time gain more flexibility and more time with their children, as well as time to devote to their own needs. They are able to be there when their children get home from school, attend school plays and other functions, and take their children to doctor appointments without facing conflicts at work. However, part-time work also has disadvantages, even aside from the cut in pay. Many part-timers carry workloads disproportionate to the number of hours they put in, sometimes being required to be available by phone to clients or colleagues during their hours at home. They may also face the resentment of co-workers on a nine-to-five schedule, and part-time work, like time taken off the job, usually places women at a disadvantage in terms of professional advancement.
Promotions come later, and the fast-track positions are often out of reach altogether (Swiss, 91). An employment arrangement that is becoming increasingly popular is job sharing, in which two people jointly fill one full-time position. They may alternate their hours in a variety of ways depending on what arrangement best suits the personal and professional needs of both women. For example, one pair of job sharers may work alternate days, while another arrangement may have each woman working two days in a row and part of a third day. Job sharing opens up a wider arena of employment than that normally available to holders of traditional part-time jobs, and unlike most part-time employees, women who job share generally receive benefits, prorated in accordance with the number of hours each works. For working mothers another advantage of job sharing is that women who job share often cover for each other when unusual family needs arise.
In successful job sharing arrangements, the partners have a cooperative, supportive relationship, staying in close touch to maintain continuity on the job. One study found that the number of companies with job sharing arrangements almost doubled between 1996 and 2000 (Polakow, 121). The computer revolution has made possible yet another alternative work option for mothers seeking extra time and a more flexible schedule: telecommuting, or working from home. According to reports in both the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times, telecommuting is the fastest-growing type of alternative work arrangement in the United States today. It can replace either all or part of ones hours at the workplace, and a telecommuter can work either part- or full-time.
Telecommuters receive and send documents via their company's computer networks and can be available, if necessary, by e-mail, voice mail, and pager. Even when a telecommuting employee is expected to adhere to fixed work hours, the arrangement still provides a significant savings in time spent dressing for work, commuting back and forth, and socializing with other employees. A final option for working single mothers who want a challenging but flexible work schedule is self-employment, a rapidly growing career option for women. While the number of entrepreneurs in the United States increased 56 % overall in the 1980 s, the number of female entrepreneurs grew 82 % (Gerson, 70). It is estimated that women will start 2. 5 million companies in the 1990 s and that they will own half of all American businesses by the year 2004. In the early 1990 s home-based businesses started by women were the fastest-growing type of small business.
The number of women employed in these ventures tripled between 1985 and 1991. Self-employment can accommodate a wide range of skills and employment backgrounds, from cooking and crafts to consulting and tax law. Self-employed women working at home may put in long hours and those leaving high-powered corporate jobs usually earn less money, at least initially, but they gain flexibility and control over their schedules. Like telecommuters, self-employed women need to make day care arrangements and be able to mentally and physically maintain boundaries between their business and personal lives. Fortunately, start-up costs for home-based businesses are relatively low. For women requiring assistance, low-interest loans can be obtained through the Small Business Administration, which also runs a variety of training and networking programs for female entrepreneurs.
A number of states also offer programs that aid women-owned businesses. Bibliography: Polakow, Valerie. Lives on the Edge: Single Mothers and Their Children in the Other America. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1993. Swiss, Deborah J. , and Judith P. Walker.
Women and the Work/Family Dilemma. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1993. Gerson, Kathleen. Hard Choices: How Women Decide about Work, Career, and Motherhood. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1985.
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Research essay sample on Time With Their Children Single Mothers
