U.S. has world’s highest rate of children living in single-parent households

submitted by fschmidt from pewresearch.org

all 7 comments
sorted by:
new (suggested)
topinsightfulfun

[–][deleted] 4 insightful - 2 fun4 insightful - 1 fun5 insightful - 2 fun -  (4 children)

While U.S. children are more likely than children elsewhere to live in single-parent households, they’re much less likely to live in extended families. In the U.S., 8% of children live with relatives such as aunts and grandparents, compared with 38% of children globally.

That more than equals out to the same % of irresponsible parents, except in the US the single parent is more likely to raise a child than the extended family.

And that's cultural. We think poorly of parents who abandon their children to relatives.

You could choose to see this as more Americans taking personal responsibility for their children.

[–]Cornfed 2 insightful - 2 fun2 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 2 fun -  (1 child)

Skanks cranking out babies and raising them in shitty conditions in order to sponge off society is taking "personal responsibility" now?

[–][deleted] 1 insightful - 3 fun1 insightful - 2 fun2 insightful - 3 fun -  (0 children)

Some of those single moms become spinsters to raise their kids alone. Not that it's selfless, it's difficult to date when you have a young child.

I live in Texas, we spend more on HS football than social programs. The level of welfare is basic sustenance. And I believe children are a better investment than tanks, think how many kids you could raise for the cost of a single tank.

[–]jet199 4 insightful - 2 fun4 insightful - 1 fun5 insightful - 2 fun -  (1 child)

Or selfishness.

Many women simply feel a lot better keeping their kids than leaving them with their parents. However which has the best outcomes for the child?

We're having a lot of children murdered by their parents during lockdown and people are asking why don't they just give their kids up if they hate them that much. Often they will even fight to have these kids live with them through the courts for years before they kill them. It's simply because giving up your kids feels terrible so scumbags prefer to keep their kids and then beat the shit out of them. That feels fine to them.

[–][deleted] 1 insightful - 2 fun1 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

Many women simply feel a lot better keeping their kids than leaving them with their parents. However which has the best outcomes for the child?

I don't know to be honest. Conventional wisdom would suggest the relatives with more resources and time would be the best option. I've helped raise a number of kids to adulthood now though, two I was very involved in their lives. A child with access to more resources but no drive to succeed is probably worse off.

It fucks with them, abandoned kids. Knowing one or both parents didn't want them. Seeing other kids with parents. And even if their parents are pieces of shit, it doesn't make it better. They'll always want that.

why don't they just give their kids up

If you mean to the state, orphans take the cake of fucked up. It's sad, you see them attempt to form familial bonds with friends. It just doesn't work great, friends aren't substitutes for family. The media always portrays it as an orphan finding a loving home and a couple treats them as if they were their own child. I've never seen that, they raise the kids till they're 18 and boot em out.

I'm not talking about bad adoptive parents either. Even with good ones, that parental bond never forms. It's awesome people take that responsibility to raise them, but it's not a family.

It's simply because giving up your kids feels terrible

I have known people like that too, there are totally unfit parents out there but I think there's a lot more that aren't ideal parents but there's something to be said for having a parent in your life.

[–]IkeConn 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

The Democrats set it up that way with taxes and benefits. Besides Chad doesn't marry single mothers.

[–]trident765 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

The US is the country with the strongest combination of r-selected genes and wealth.