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OSR Journal of Student Research

Article Title

Social Constraints of Parents Today

Abstract

Family structure is a key factor in explaining a host of outcomes. Past research has shown that single parent households headed by females face more hardships compared to two-parent households. Additionally, children who grow up in households with a single mom are at a greater disadvantage and more likely to experience negative outcomes in terms of schooling and well-being. Clearly, lack of financial resources can account for many of the negative outcomes, but a key mechanism through which these disadvantages affect families is through parenting strategies and styles. Whether parents or guardians raise their children in an authoritarian, authoritative, permissive, or uninvolved household, the many questions that seemingly resonate are, if not only one’s own upbringings influences the way a child is raised, but whether an individual’s class, or race has an influence as well. Using in-depth semi-structured interviews of working class moms, both married and single, I explore whether their parenting styles differ and whether their own upbringings influence their own parenting style. In doing so, I examine if there are differences between single and married working class moms by their experience in terms of levels of stress, coping mechanisms, who they rely on for help, and their ideals of motherhood and expectations for 78 5th Annual Student Research Symposium their children. Additionally, I explore how working class moms assess the presence of a father in terms of parenting and helping out with child rearing. Preliminary findings suggest that there will be a significant difference between single and married moms in both stress and upbringings.

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