"All the Single Mothers"

As I was once a very young single mother, I completely understand the limits faced by any single parent. We have a responsibility to offer improved opportunities benefiting the children of single parent homes. Our society should provide better and more affordable childcare for those with the greatest need. Nearly everyone wants to be self-sufficient and offer the best opportunity for success to their children. It isn’t always a case of having a lack of ambition; in many circumstances it is a lack of opportunity with far too many obstacles in our way.

According to the most recent U.S. census data, working women under the age of thirty are out-earning their male counterparts. The caveat is that most of these women are childless. These statistics create or perhaps confirm a new form of inequality, not so much regarding sex but familial status. The responsibility to be the sole provider of the basic necessities of life requires a much higher than average income for a single person. If a person is also a single parent, on top of the additional financial responsibilities, he or she has the added emotional and physical pressure of all daily decisions and task that will impact their family. Many times these decisions and task have to be managed with fewer and less desirable options.

Although I am frustrated when I see discrimination and biases against single mothers, I do understand the hardships that having a single mother on staff can present. There tends to be a higher absence rate, which can disrupt the productivity schedules within most companies. Many metropolitan cities offer numerous options for public transportation to their citizens; and more companies currently offer on-site childcare programs making life easier for their employees, both allow for greater possibilities to a single mother. A highly determined single mother would benefit by improved laws in place offering greater opportunities for success rather than by simply adding entitlements.

As a society, we oftentimes fail our children by overlooking their basic needs. I feel that the absent parent should be held accountable both fiscally as well as emotionally to support their children. Our country is facing a crisis caused by the high number of fathers that walk away from their families. When a father fails to live up to his responsibilities, first his children, then our entire society suffers. My hope for the future is that educational opportunities are made available and presented to young women creating a greater awareness of the difficulties faced by single mothers. Being fully responsible for our own lives is a serious matter; the added responsibility of an innocent child is beyond compare. Our future depends on the decisions of our youth. It is our responsibility to offer the best opportunities giving the children of our country every tool available to ensure a stronger, more prosperous, and secure nation. This is our moral responsibility.