Single Parent Homes

A Single-Parent family or household is just what the name implies, a family or household that is headed and/or run by one parent. According to two researchers of single parent homes, "Single-parent families are those that have a 16-year-old child and a biological mother who is divorced/separated, widowed or never-married. Biological mothers who have children with stepfathers are considered part of the single parent group. Two-parent families are defined as having a 16-year-old child and both biological parents in the same home."

The term "household" refers to the people occupying a housing unit, rather than the physical structure in which they live. Households exhibit diversity in their composition. The Census Bureau, however, identifies two basic types of households: family or non-family. A family household is composed of at least two persons related by birth, marriage, or adoption. A non family household is either a person living alone or a householder who is not related to any of the other persons sharing their home.

Currently, more than a twenty-five percent of America's children live with a single parent. That's more than sixteen million children. The number of single parent families has more than doubled over the past 25 years.

Of these, most are the result of divorce and those who never married. Parents that are widows and widowers make up four percent (4%) of the single-parent population. Single parent families have to cope with the struggle of having only one leader in most situations. They also have more financial situations to sort through, especially with the child support issue at hand; many biological parents fail to give child support, which leaves the care giver in a rut.

The definition of poverty, according to the National Center for Children in Poverty (Section III-Demographics), is "Income below the federal poverty level (FPL), currently $18,850 for a family of four." Low-income is defined as "Income below 200 percent of the federal poverty level", about $30,000 for a family of four.

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