Single Parent Families and the Shifting Distribution of US Family Well-Being

2007 ◽  
pp. 89
Author(s):  
Bradford F. Mills
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
Poverty Line ◽  
Single Parent ◽  
Density Estimates ◽  
High School Degree ◽  
Single Parent Families ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
Working Adult ◽  
The U.S ◽  
Economic Well Being

Nonparametric density estimates and a generalized decomposition technique are employed to explore the role that changes in family structure in the 1980s and 1990s played in observed shifts in the U.S. distribution of family economic well-being. Single-parent families are identified as playing a key role in shaping the incidence and distribution of economic well-being below two times the poverty line. Most notably, the increased incidence of persons in families below one-half the poverty line can be traced to both an increase in the share of single-parent families and an increase in the propensity of single-parent families to reside at these very low levels of economic well-being. Decompositions further trace the increased incidence of single-parent families below one-half the poverty line to those without a working adult and those without a head with a high-school degree.

scholarly journals Did We Lose the War on Poverty?

1998 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 79-96 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dale W Jorgenson
Keyword(s):  
Household Income ◽  
Well Being ◽  
War On Poverty ◽  
Support Programs ◽  
Accurate Assessment ◽  
Income Support ◽  
Poverty Level ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The U.S ◽  
Economic Well Being

Official U.S. poverty statistics based on household income imply that the proportion of the U.S. population below the poverty level reached a minimum in 1973, giving rise to the widespread impression that the elimination of poverty is impossible. By contrast, poverty estimates based on household consumption have fallen through 1989 and imply that the war on poverty was a success. This paper recommends replacing income by consumption in official estimates of poverty in order to obtain a more accurate assessment of the impact of income support programs and economic growth on the level and distribution of economic well-being among households.

scholarly journals The health status and well-being of low-resource, housing-unstable, single-parent families living in violent neighbourhoods in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

2016 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 578-589 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara F. Jacoby ◽  
Laura Tach ◽  
Terry Guerra ◽  
Douglas J. Wiebe ◽  
Therese S. Richmond
Keyword(s):  
Health Status ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Single Parent ◽  
Low Resource ◽  
Single Parent Families

Changes in womens' roles: Impact on and social policy implications for the mental health of women and children

2000 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 633-656 ◽  
Author(s):  
JENNIFER AUBE ◽  
JOSEE FLEURY ◽  
JUDITH SMETANA
Keyword(s):  
Social Policy ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Single Parent ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Single Parent Families ◽  
The Past ◽  
Paid Labor ◽  
Care Patterns ◽  
Women And Children ◽  
The Impact

In recent years, womens' roles have changed dramatically, prompting researchers to examine the impact of these changes on the development of women and children. In this article, we examine three major changes that women have experienced over the past several decades: increased participation in the paid labor force, changes in domestic labor and child-care patterns, and increased numbers of female-headed single-parent families. For each, we first describe the nature of the changes that have occurred over the last 50 years. We then review research concerning the effects of these changes on the development of women and children. Finally, we discuss the implications for social policy that stem from this research. It is broadly concluded that research informed by a developmental–contextual perspective may contribute importantly to the development of social policies focused on promoting the well-being of women and children.

scholarly journals Wealth of children from single-parent families: Low levels and high inequality in Germany

2021 ◽  
Vol 31 (5) ◽  
pp. 565-579
Author(s):  
Philipp M Lersch ◽  
Markus M Grabka ◽  
Kilian Rüß ◽  
Carsten Schröder
Keyword(s):  
Household Income ◽  
Decomposition Analysis ◽  
Single Parent ◽  
Research Gaps ◽  
Jel Codes ◽  
Economic Wealth ◽  
Single Parent Families ◽  
Family Types ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
Employment Characteristics

Families’ economic wealth is a resource that can provide children with crucial advantages early in their lives. Prior research identified substantial variation of wealth levels between different family types with children from single-parent families being most disadvantaged. The causes of this disadvantage, how much the disadvantage varies between children and how the non-resident parents’ wealth may potentially reduce the disadvantage remain unclear. To address these research gaps, we use data from the German Socio-Economic Panel (2002–17) to examine the level of and inequality in wealth for children from single-parent families using recentred influence function regression and decomposition analysis. We replicate earlier findings of a large wealth disadvantage for children in single-parent families. We find that the wealth disadvantage can be mainly explained with compositional differences in household income and employment characteristics. Beyond level differences, inequality between children from single-parent families is higher than for other family types and this inequality can only partly be explained by observed demographic and socio-economic characteristics. When considering the wealth of non-resident parents, the wealth disadvantage of children in single-parent families is reduced but remains substantial. JEL-codes: D31, D1, J1

scholarly journals MEASURING POVERTY CYCLES IN THE U.S. 1959–2013

2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 1737-1754 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marinko Škare ◽  
Romina Pržiklas Družeta ◽  
Damian Škare
Keyword(s):  
Business Cycles ◽  
Time Series Data ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Poverty Rate ◽  
Series Data ◽  
Poverty Dynamics ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Shed Light ◽  
The U.S ◽  
Economic Well Being

This paper aims to shed light on the nature of poverty as a dynamic process by examining poverty cycles, their magnitudes, and their asymmetry. The designated benchmark country is the USA due to the availability of time series data making comprehensive analyses possible. We use Harding and Pagan (2002) and the Cardinale and Taylor (2009) model to isolate poverty cycles in the U.S. during 1959–2013. Once isolated, we test the poverty cycles for duration dependency, and their synchronization with the U.S. business cycles observed over the same period. We find that poverty dynamics measured through poverty cycles differ for alternative poverty rate indicators. Another critical point is the magnitude of change in the poverty cycles. Prolonged and more volatile poverty cycles have a significant adverse impact on people and families facing them. That is particularly important for policymakers who should rethink poverty policy guidelines aimed at helping people with more volatile poverty cycles first. Our is the first study, to our knowledge, to isolate poverty cycles and focus on their nature. Poverty cycles should attract more attention from policymakers since they more accurately assess nations’ economic well-being than output (GDP).

Family Forms and Member Well-Being: A Research Agenda for the Decade of Behavior

2001 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 344-363 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janice M. Steil
Keyword(s):  
Research Agenda ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Single Parent ◽  
Quarter Century ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Single Parent Families ◽  
The Past ◽  
Heterosexual Marriage ◽  
American Families

Few institutions have changed as much in the past quarter-century as have American families. What are the factors affecting change? What are the conditions under which different family forms might best serve the interests of their members? What further changes are required? In this paper societal inequalities manifested within and between two family forms, heterosexual marriage and single-parent families, are reviewed, and a research agenda to assess the conditions under which these different family forms might best serve the interests of their members is posed.

Trends in Single Parenting in the U.S. Army

1996 ◽  
Vol 78 (3_suppl) ◽  
pp. 1311-1328 ◽  
Author(s):  
Walter R. Schumm ◽  
Rose E. Rice ◽  
D. Bruce Bell ◽  
Michelle M. V. Perez
Keyword(s):  
Vietnam War ◽  
Single Parent ◽  
Military Couples ◽  
Single Parent Families ◽  
Family Social Support ◽  
Social Support Services ◽  
Traditional Pattern ◽  
Female Soldiers ◽  
Married Male ◽  
The U.S

Dramatic increases in the percentage of female soldiers, married enlisted soldiers, spouses in the labor force, female single-parent soldiers, and dual military couples have changed the demography of the Army substantially since the end of the Vietnam War and the institution of the All Volunteer Army. The presence of single-parent families has perhaps most clearly broken the traditional pattern of the unmarried male soldier led by a married male officer. This report documents the increase of single-parent families in the U.S. Army since the early 1970s and discusses what effects, if any, such changes may have had on family adaptation, retention, readiness, and use of family social-support services.

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