Why Are Moms the Only Ones Held Responsible by Single-Parent Critics?
Last updated: August 15, 2012 by Susan
“Why the f*ck aren’t we talking more about men?”
This is basically the gist of what Erin Gloria Ryan has to say about everyone tirelessly blaming all the socio-economic woes of America on single mothers – particularly to Jason DeParle of the New York Times.
DeParle deplores the situation of single mothers; of the woes they inflict upon themselves and their children when they choose to stay single. These claims are backed up by numerous studies have shown that single moms attain lower levels of education, typically earn less and are even less likely to get married than their more educated counterparts.
That’s the reality of it all, but should the buck be passed solely to the single moms or should the men that impregnated and left them be held responsible as well?
This is the question that Ryan wants answered. Ryan wants to know the role of dads in the single mom equation and not just to lay all the blame on single mothers.
“Pregnancy isn’t just a magical happening that befalls a woman like a pimple; in order for a woman to be left alone with children, at some point, there must have been a man around to do the leaving,” says Ryan.
Just as studies have pointed out the dangers and risk factors of single motherhood, so is the need to answer the following questions (by objective and unbiased research):
- Why are men leaving families?
- Why are men being forced out of their families?
- What do the men do and where do they go after they leave?
- How many of these men pay child support to raise their children?
- How does paying child support affect their children’s quality of life?
If various research groups can study the effects of single parenthood, then surely they can focus their efforts to better answer these questions.
After all, there is a dad behind every single mother out there – you just don’t know where they are.