Eight Aspect Chart

Eight Aspect Chart

Eight aspects which are causes of being a single mother are came through healthy discussion & arguments between the three persons Sunil, Dinesh & Raj.

It was fantastic & interesting way to come across these aspects which are shown in diagram. Sunil gave us task to write twenty five questions related to the single parent mothers. We wrote those questions which came in our mind at that time. Again I & Dinesh shares each of our questions in which some were common & some were very genuine & important. Then from those questions we underlined the words which are meaningful & necessary. Then again we discussed on those words which we filtered out of the forty questions.

Finally we designed a lovely & excellent chat which can describe the whole issue of single mothers. then we interlinked some of hose words through which the topic is getting more clearer. Now further we are writing on those aspects by interlinking them with single mothers.

Debates on Single Parent

Public Policy Debate

Single parents have often been the focus of public policy debate. The debate has included both practical considerations around the role of government in their support, and moral ones in response to the decline of the traditional family. The moral debate tends to divide between liberal and conservative positions with liberals welcoming or accepting the changes in family structures, while conservatives decry the declines in marriage and the rises in divorce and cohabitation.
The major issue facing single mothers and their children in the United States today is Poverty. Female-headed single parent families comprise 50% of all families in poverty (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 1979). Statistics show in the U.S. Census Bureau that children raised by both parents grow up with more financial and educational advantages.
Hence, a policy debate tends to split along similar lines with fiscal conservatives emphasizing a minimal role for government and an employment focus, while liberals tend to support more government involvement in an attempt to minimize poverty through things like social programs such as welfare and insufficient child support.
Children from all family types are at risk when they are experiencing parenting that is inadequate in the terms of attention, being there to nurture and monitor. This can happen in families that are experiencing economic stress and may need to work more than others. (http://social.jrank.org)

Other Debates

Other debates consist of whether or not children from single family homes encounter and engage in violence, which can affect their adult lives.
Also, the debate about whether or not the fact that children from single family homes can become emotionally distracted or upset and preoccupied by the exposure of their family lives, which affects their education in a dire way. One side thinks that adolescences education might be deferred or they can drop out completely due to parental efficacy. Their attitudes toward the importance of an education and the investment and time the put in their children’s education can determine whether the child will enroll in higher education as an adult while the other side believes that it is other factors that contribute to this dire affect in their education.

Choice Parent

A choice parent is a parent who voluntarily becomes a single parent to a biologic or adoptive child from the very beginning, rather than by a later separation from a partner.
A woman may voluntarily become a choice parent by artificial insemination, use of a cervical cap conception device with donor sperm, or simply by intercourse. Women who choose insemination or adoption to become parents are also referred to as "choice mums" or "choice mothers". These women, many of whom are over 35, tend to be educated, career women. Children of this group of single moms are less likely to be at risk of poverty.

In History and Fiction

There have been several famous single parents who were also actors, vocalists, and politicians. Murphy Brown, one famous fictional character in the sitcom of the same name, was a career woman working in a TV news firm. She became pregnant and had a baby in the comedy series' fourth season. The character's decisions became a nation-wide interest when she was referred to by several US family values-oriented politicians, including then-vice president, Dan Quayle, who openly criticized the show during a 1992 speech in San Francisco.
Other examples include:
• Shmi Skywalker in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
• Porter Ricks in Flipper
• Robby Ray Stewart in Hannah Montana
• Frank DeFazio in Laverne and Shirley
• Florida Evans in Good Times after James (John Amos) has been killed off
• Ellen Miller in Lassie
• Andy Taylor in The Andy Griffith Show
• Dr. Beverly Crusher in Star Trek: The Next Generation
• Captain Benjamin Sisko in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
• Hester Prynne in The Scarlet Letter
• Danny Tanner in Full House
• Lorelai Gilmore in Gilmore Girls
• Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird
• Dan Burns in Dan in Real Life
• Michael Bluth in "Arrested Development" (Widower)
• Julia Baker in "Julia" (Widow)

Assistance and Help

A common way for single parents to seek and receive help is over the Internet by conversing with other single parents in similar situations. There are various websites available, for support, information, and sharing the single parenting experience through offering discussion forums, blogs and professional advice to those parents who find themselves having a difficult time parenting alone. Many single parent communities offer chat boards for pregnant mothers and single parents through each stage of child development. http://www.SingleWithKids.co.uk, http://www.onlydads.org and http://www.onlymums.org are such websites and as well as the online support, they also provide mutual support through meet ups and breaks, proving to single parents that life really can continue after divorce or bereavement.
In the UK Gingerbread - the National charity for single parents - has a facebook page , a twitter account and a discussion forum for members

Effects of Single Parenting

Single parent families are at a higher risk of poverty than couple families, and on average single mothers have poorer health than couple mothers.
Most children from single parent families do well. Many factors influence how children develop in single-parent families: the parent's age, education level, and occupation; the family's income, and the family's support network of friends and extended family members (including the non-resident parent, if available). Disadvantages in these factors that often accompany single parenting appear to cause most of this association rather than single parenting itself.
Shocking headlines do get published; for example a 2003 Swedish study, stated that those living with a single parent were about three times more likely to kill themselves or end up in the hospital after an attempted suicide by the age of 26 than children living with two parents, however this only happened to 2.2 percent of girls and 1 percent of boys.
A variety of viewpoints do exist, with different readings of the research possible. The Institute for the Study of Civil Society reports that children of single parents, after controlling for other variables like family income, are more likely to have problems. There are impacts of sole parenting on children, however the weight of the evidence it is suggested, do not appear to support a view that sole parents are a major cause of societal ills and are doing irreparable damage to their children..

Minutes of the Meeting with Meenal Gandhe

Meeting with Meenal Gandhi
Introduction: Meenal Gandhi(programme Manager)
Population first.

Meenal Gandhi is programme manager for LAADLI Campaign of Population First which runs and works under and with the help of NSS family of Mumbai University.Population First is working on save girl child& their basic theme is sex selection before or after birth which is prohibited .PC &PNDT is ACT which is implemented in 1994 & it is prohibited of Sex Selection
In our Meeting Meenal says “Gender is the top most & very important reason due to which women are mostly single parent”. According to her gender is the only reason on which all other factors age, interest, education, economic status, culture & tradition, need & other reasons are dependent on gender.
Shesaid in our society earlier women were forced to take custody of their children but this has increased a lot so that they themselves take custody of their children otherwise they could face society in which all womenaccepted their children . In our society all the responsibilities of children are given to women even though men can do everything except birth.
Miss Meenal suggested me to specify more the topic.My research question is – “Why women are mostly single parent?. According to Meenalour topic should be “Is Gender the reason, Why single parented families are headed by women?. She told suggest contacting Dr. Sharda Director of Population First for more help related to this topic. She also provide me study material on PC&PNDT Act 1991.
The experience was good to meet with Meenal. I would like to meet Meenal again during my project

PC and PNDT Act- 1994

PC and PNDT ACT

Declining sex ratio in the country has been a matter of concern for all. The Government is implementing Pre-conception and Pre-natal Diagnostic Techniques (PC & PNDT) Act, 1994, which bans determination of the sex of the foetus. The PC & PNDT Act is being implemented through the State/UT Governments through the Appropriate Authorities appointed at the State/ District level. Civil society and NGOs have played a major role in framing the PC & PNDT Act and Rules. Many of the NGOs also come up with various types of innovative proposals for effective implementation of the PC & PNDT Act.

Related to this act I have enough information & literature material which including proforma of application of filling case against the criminal. It also includes contact details & addresses of reporting authorities. For your help you can contact me rajkumar.kanojiya90@yahoo.in

Below I am mentioning names of some NGO those who can help you more to know about this act & other details related to this act.

1) Population First, Fort- Mumbai.
http://www.populationfirst.org/
2) Men Against Violence & Abuse (MAVA), Andheri- Mumbai.
http://www.mavaindia.org/
3) Vaccha, Santacruz- Mumbai.

Story of Single Father

Bob Greig
I have been a single parent since 2004. My two daughters Priya and Anya live with me on a full-time basis. In the last few years I have experienced the highpoints and downside of raising a family on my own. I’ve experienced redundancy, some ill-health, a lack of disposable income and a constant nagging feeling that I should always be doing a bit better. But on the other hand, I get to see my children grow up day by day and in truth I have a better relationship with my daughters now than I ever would have done before.


It’s just special.
But it has taken me some time to get back on my feet. I’d say 4 years or so. My divorce was tangled, messy, and complicated. Add a contentious dose of the Children’s Act into the mix and you will begin to understand why at the end of the process I was both wiser and weaker. I’d gone from a fairly laid back and happy professional to a man who couldn’t enter a supermarket for fear of having another panic attack. In those dark years I’d stopped socialising and found safety only in my own house.
Like all single dads I meet, none of us are brought up to raise families on our own. There is a degree of “make it up as you go along” in my house – at times that can be fun; at other times it all feels a bit unsettling. There is love though – and that is what really matters.
Like ALL single Dads, I like that point in the day when the kids are in bed. Then I watch Newsnight and drink Rioja and re-read books by Alan Silitoe and Stan Barstow. One of the (many) joys of being a single parent is that you get to watch and listen to what you want again!
Professional Background
A couple of years voluntary work with the Mission to Seafarers was followed by a sixteen year stretch with the Church of England in the field of property management. A short time in private property consultancy with King Sturge followed where I was project managing the transformation of churches who were looking to bring community/mixed use into their buildings.
The key to successfully managing a complex property project is to ensure you work with the very best professional team - and by that I mean individuals who combine enthusiasm and technical know-how. I believe that same principle applies to single parents who do need occasional help and support to make the most out of our situation.

Story of Single Mother

Rebecca Giraud
I have been a single mum since 2006 living in the South West with my daughter Saskia who is 11.

Having experienced many of the struggles associated with the breakdown of a relationship, I am familiar with the endless feelings of guilt and the overwhelming fatigue that can make it so hard to provide the emotional and financial support needed for the children. Few of us decide to be single parents out of choice, and for most it takes many months of reflection (with support from family and friends if we are lucky) to find the strength and self-confidence to really move on.
Things today are much better for me, and sometimes they are quite wonderful. Thanks to the kindness of others and my own hard work I have much to celebrate.
Professional Background
I have spent the majority of the my professional career working for non-government organisations in the area of Social Development. In particular I have worked overseas in Southern Africa and the South Pacific in HIV/AIDS and in the UK in the same area. I have also worked with the homeless and those experiencing Domestic Abuse. I have worked at project management level, co-ordinated research projects and have been, and continue to be, involved in carrying out strategic reveiws of services for vulnerable groups.

Single Parent: Meaning & Definitions

Families in which children are raised by only one parent are now more common
around the world. Migration, separation, divorce, and widowhood are influencing
this trend.Women who have never been married and who live without a partner also
account for an increasing proportion of single-parent families.While mothers often
head such families, fathers, grandmothers, aunts, or other female relatives may be
single parents.
Women’s increased ability to earn an income is also influencing the growth in
single-parent families, since those with independent incomes are better able to cope
on their own. The International Labour Organization reports that economic need and
changes in women’s perceptions of their social roles and priorities have led to more
women entering the workforce in the last few decades. As a result, the gap between
male and female labor force participation has narrowed and the number of twoearner
and single-parent families has increased—although earning power is still lower
among women.
As women tend to be younger than their male partners and have longer life
expectancies, widowhood is also a cause of single parenthood. In African countries
most seriously affected by AIDS, a substantial number of families are losing one or
both parents to the epidemic.
As more people balance job and family duties, governments and the private sector
are urged to promote greater compatibility between work-force participation and
family responsibilities, especially for single parents. The Programme of Action adopted
at the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development recommends
that special attention be paid to the provision of health insurance and social security,
day-care centers and facilities for breastfeeding, kindergartens, part-time jobs, paid
parental leave, flexible work schedules, and reproductive and child-health services.

From Wikipedia:

Single-parent (also lone parent, solo parent and sole parent) is a parent who cares for one or more children without the physical assistance of the other parent in the home. "Single Parenthood" may vary according to the local laws of different nations or regions.
Single parenthood may occur for a variety of reasons. A few possible scenerios are by choice, as in, divorce, adoption, artificial insemination, surrogate motherhood, while others are the result of an unforeseeable occurrence, such as a death, child abuse, child neglect, or abandonment by biological parents.
The living and parenting arrangements for single parents are diverse. A number live in households with family, other adults or alone in home, apartments, condos or government assisted housing. When parents separate, one party, usually the primary parent, has the children the majority of the time but secondary or 'non-resident' parents continue to share some type of parenting time and responsibility, to some extent, with their child.