Single Parenting Effects

The Impact of Single Parenting For some individuals, the word family represents two heterosexual parents. In the present time, however, a family can consist of various individuals: heterosexual parents, homosexual parents of either gender, or single parents. Single parenting has become more prominent during the last few decades. There are also various types of single parenting; some of them are caused by the death of a partner, by separation or divorce, or by a single parent adoption. Although single parenting is admirable, this type of family structure has some negative effects on the children.
Dropping out of school, which is effortless for some students, is a good example of these effects. Often, single parents spend so much of their time

A survey led by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy found that “30% [of pregnant teens] are raised by single parents” (Docksai 14). This percentage, in part, may be caused by teenagers trying to fill a void. They are either missing a parental figure or “role-model.” Some instances, for teen girls, where a father figure is missing can drive them to have insecurity and doubts about men. The teen girls then have trust issues and cannot commit to an emotional relationship, which leads them to engage only in a sexual relationship. Some more research established that “a father’s absence early in life may trigger doubts in girls about male reliability that hasten sexual activity and reproduction, as well as promote a preference for brief relationships” (Bower par. 9). The author’s use of word choice in this quote illustrates that the absence of a father “hasten” human development; something that would come naturally in later months or years becomes the “new norm.” In the instance of teen boys, not having a mother figure may cause actions towards women to be more physical than emotional. This action then can cause unintentional reproduction to occur. Not having a mother to emotionally guide a teen through the stages of a growth spurt can confuse them into making mistakes in life. When teenagers find an affirmative result for pregnancy, they often become single parents.
Many teen parents have the need to feel some sort of love because of the missing love from the absent parent. The absence can range from years to all their life, therefore, causing a manifestation of rejection. In this case, teens will become dependent of a different form of love. Once the baby is born, they feel like their child is giving them ‘the unconditional love […] they haven’t been getting’ from family or friends (Docksai