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Social, Economic And Psychological Challenges Of Single Parent Family
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CHAPTER ONE
1.1 Background to the Study
In May 1992, Vice
President Dan Quayle suggested that a breakdown of the nuclear family
was among the causes of recent riots in Los Angeles in which over fifty
people had died. “I believe the lawless social anarchy which we saw is
directly related to the breakdown of family structure, personal
responsibility and social order in too many areas of our society,â€
Quayle remarked. He went on to criticize society’s increasingly
permissive attitude toward out-of-wedlock childbearing, pointing
specifically to the treatment of the issue in the television sitcom
Murphy Brown. “It doesn’t help matters when prime time TV has Murphy
Brown—a character who supposedly epitomizes today’s intelligent, highly
paid, professional woman—mocking the importance of fathers by bearing a
child alone and calling it just another ‘lifestyle choice.’â€
Quayle’s speech, especially his reference to Murphy Brown, provoked an
outpouring of commentary. Numerous Americans agreed with Quayle,
expressing concern that the “traditional family†and “family valuesâ€
were being undermined by a public morality that too readily condoned
unwed motherhood and divorce. Many also agreed with Quayle’s argument
that the media and popular culture were to blame for promoting loose
sexual values and immoral lifestyles.
Others took exception
to Quayle’s statements. Some, seeing his speech as a moralistic attack
on single mothers, responded by insisting that most single mothers work
hard to provide for their children and to raise them well. Others
considered Quayle’s view of the traditional family as nostalgic and
unrealistic, out of touch with the social and economic realities of life
in contemporary America. The character Murphy Brown, played by actress
Candice Bergen, directly responded to Quayle in a subsequent episode of
the show. In words that doubtlessly resonated with many Americans, she
declared, “Perhaps it’s time for the vice president to expand his
definition [of family] and recognize that whether by choice or
circumstance families come in all shapes and sizes. And ultimately, what
really defines a family is commitment, caring and love.â€
The intensity of the public reaction to Quayle’s speech suggests that
his comments touched on an issue of concern to a large number of people.
Indeed, many commentators have expressed alarm about the increase in
single-parent families over the past four decades. In 1960, they point
out; 5.8 million American children lived in single-parent families; by
1996 that number had risen to 18 million. This growth has been fueled by
an increasing rate of out-of-wedlock childbearing. In 1960, 5.3 percent
of American babies were born to unwed mothers; that rate has increased
to 30 percent. These numbers are even higher for African Americans: As
of 1992, 68 percent of African American babies were born to unmarried
women. A rising divorce rate has also contributed to the growing number
of single-parent families. The U.S. divorce rate rose nearly 250 percent
between 1960 and 1980; it then leveled off at what is now the highest
rate in the industrialized world. It is commonly noted that about half
of the marriages undertaken today will end in divorce.
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ABSRACT - [ Total Page(s): 1 ]The study investigated the social, economic and psychological challenges of single parent family in Ijebu-Ode Local Government Area of Ogun State. The study cross analyzed the degree of these challenges among the respondents in the study area. The descriptive approach was adopted for the purpose data gathering. One hundred and forty seven was the sample that responded to a questionnaire. The data gathered was analysed with the statistical tool of Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), Mean and Standard ... Continue reading---
