Single Parent Families

Macro-level: A broad examination of single parent families in relation to the major structures and institutions of society;

Micro-level: Patterns of social interactions at the individual level with a focus on a specific single parent family; and

Theoretical perspectives of functionalism, conflict theory and symbolic interactionism.

At the macro level, the topic of single parent families is examined in its relationship to the various institutional structures such as the government, businesses and community organizations. One of the critical challenging issues confronted by single parent families is their comparative poverty to two-parent families. According to the 1994 Kids Count Data Book, "the poverty rate of single parent families is 42 percent, compared to eight percent for two-parent families" (cited in Garis 1084). Single parents' efforts to improve their economic circumstances for their families are often constrained by the negative pressure im

. . .
esiveness; pride in their success in overcoming problems; openness in communication; and strong unity (42-8). These components will be explored through the observation of Melissa Lubbers' family. Melissa, aged 40, is a recently divorced woman, with three children—Melanie, 16, Graham, 13 and Jennifer, 9. Before her husband's departure, Melissa was a full-time housewife who worked occasionally in her father's flower shop. However, since the divorce two years ago, Melissa has been working as full-time as a dental assistant, after undergoing training at a college. In order to observe this family, this writer spent an afternoon and evening at the family's house (after the children returned home from school). During this observation, it was apparent that Melanie shouldered tremendous responsibilities as she performed household tasks such as cleaning the dishes and making dinner preparations before Melissa returned home from work at six o'clock. She also delegated responsibilities and chores to her siblings by asking them to take out the garbage and setting the table. Although Graham complained that Melissa was "bossing" him around, he still complied with her request to take out the garbage. Melanie explained that even thoug
. . .

Some common words found in the essay are:
Seguino Butler, Melissa Lubbers', Howe Pidwell, Melanie Graham, , Micro-level Patterns, Conflict Theory, Data Book, Families TANF, single parent, McClelland Functionalism, parent families, single parent families, single parents, conflict theory, parent family, single parent family, howe pidwell, symbolic interactionism, theory symbolic interactionism, theory symbolic, functionalism conflict theory, functionalism conflict, families examined, seguino butler 197,
Approximate Word count = 1972
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page)