received the full amount of child support
from the fathers of their children in 2003.
The picture is only slightly better for
fathers—46% of custodial fathers received
the full amount of child support due them
in 2003 (Grall, 2006).
Role and Task Overload
Another difficulty facing single parents is
role and task overload.A single parent can
find it overwhelming to take on the role of
both mother and father. This is intensified
by the likelihood of financial problems,
forcing many single parents to work two
jobs. Single parents who are trying to
provide for their children often go without
sleep and leisure time to meet the needs of
their children. They experience social
isolation, loneliness, and embarrassment in
a society revolving around couples. Because
many single parents shoulder the entire
responsibility for the financial needs of their
children, money becomes an important and
pervasive concern for single parents
(Anderson, 2003).
Unexpected Benefits of Single Parenting
Little has been written about the
positive side of single-parent families.
Parental and child health outcomes often
are related to communication and social
support. Single-parent families with larger
networks of social support were found to
have better physical and mental health.
Good communication within the single-
parent family was also related to positive
mental and physical health outcomes
(McCubbin, 2007).
While children are vulnerable to all the
disadvantages of single-parent families,
they also can benefit from this situation.
Because children in single-parent families
often have increased levels of
responsibility, they frequently exhibit
higher levels of autonomy than
adolescents in other family types (Amato,
2001). Independence is a highly valued
personal trait in our culture, and the
increased independence of single-parent
family members may be an important
survival skill in our rapidly changing
world.Remarriage: A Blending of Two
Households?What is in a name? When it comes to
stepfamilies, it can be a lot. The Vishers,
well known for their research on
stepfamilies, object to the term stepfamily
because it suggests the new family will
swiftly and easily blend together and it
assumes a homogenous unit without a
previous history or background (1992,
1996, 1997, 1998), On the other hand, the
term stepfamily, which is the most
popular term used in professionalDivorce and Remarriage