Single parent
In the United States, 83% of single parents are mothers. Among this percentage of single mothers: 45% of single mothers are currently divorced or separated, 1.7% are widowed, 34% of single mothers never have been married. Although decades ago, having a child outside of marriage and/or being a single mother was not prominent. Census information from 1960 tells us that in that year, only nine percent of children lived in single parent families. Today four out of every ten children are born to an unwed mother.
Parental portrayals in the media
The depiction of single mothers in the media is crucial because it impacts children's views on parenthood. This topic became especially relevant after the 1990s. Between 1986 and 1989 there was a 19% increase in pregnancy for 15- to 17-year-olds, consequently the number of single mothers increased. In a study conducted by sociologist Mary Larson, participants were asked to view several soap operas and comment on the role of the single mother. The study consisted of 163 junior and senior high-school students in a rural-suburban community in Northern Illinois in 1993. The student body was 9% minority and had an average family income of $41,000. The students in the study declared that most soap operas depict the single mother as white upper middle class with a successful job. Participants also noted that coping with a job and having a child did not seem to be a problem for the mothers. Their children were allowed to attend social events and each woman had a dominant male figure who helped with the baby on a daily basis. After viewing the shows, participants were asked to answer several questions on single mothers. Most responses indicate a skewed perception of being a single mother. Most students did not believe single mothers were more likely to live in poverty and that most babies had a dominant male presence in their lives. Other scientists have determined that men are actually more commonly portrayed as single parents in prime time television. One study revealed that men outnumber women by three to one as being single parents. Additionally, women are more frequently portrayed as married in a home setting. Whereas single men never endure the conflict of balancing their work and family life, women are depicted as struggling to balance both.