Finance Roll

Today, in most two-parent families, mothers work outside of the home. Yet, there are more children living in poverty in America. It is believed that families need two incomes to maintain a marginal middle-class lifestyle. Two-parent families have financial difficulties, but this is nothing compared to the abject poverty suffered in single-parent families. Families are making more money today than fifty years ago, yet the average median income for the family has fallen. Inflation, family assistance, and the disparity between high and low-wage earners may explain the major decline in the national median income. America's middle class is rapidly disappearing.

Money can be a source of power over single parents. Traditionally, men earn twice as much as women. In a divorce, many women keep the kids while the men keep the money. Divorce courts across the nation have responded with adequate child support mandates, but have had trouble getting payments to the custodial parent. Nonpayment of child support is a major reason that millions of children live in deep poverty.

Delinquent parents in New York have been threatened with driver's license revocation for not paying their child support. In 1995, almost a half-million children in New York were owed child support. Additionally, the state of New York posted "Wanted" posters with pictures of parents that owed the most back child support. When delinquent parents do not support their children, taxpayers pick up the tab through bloated welfare rolls, exploding Medicaid bills, housing assistance, Aid for Dependent Children, food stamps, and food charities. Almost one-half of America's families receive some sort of assistance. That means they are not paying taxes, either.

America sends a mixed message to career mothers when they are stereotyped as not having enough time for the kids. Yet, society expects mothers on subsistence to work. All parents single, divorced or married simply must have rock-solid child care plans. These plans should cover normal, everyday supervision as well as sick-kid child care. Divorce courts must put the needs and interests of the children first when separating property and custody.

Teens can learn valuable lessons from financial hardship of the single parent family. Teenagers that have everything handed to them grow up to the rude awakening that everything they want is not going to magically appear when they are adults. Teens of single parent families know all about abject poverty. Their help at home is enlisted from the beginning and together they and their single parent can work for a future in a comfortable middle-class lifestyle.