| Every day, all over the world, single parenting is a | | | | that they are more likely to impose consistent rules |
| quickly-growing family situation. It doesn't matter if the | | | | and discipline on their children than their female |
| country is rich or poor, there are more single parents | | | | counterparts. |
| than ever before. | | | | One ethnographic researcher talked to single black |
| Societies are changing, and single parents aren't the | | | | fathers about their reasons for deciding to raise their |
| social outcasts they were in olden times. Earlier | | | | children alone. They told the researcher that they felt a |
| societies that had strict moral codes used to view | | | | sense of duty for their children, that they wanted to |
| single parents as immoral or personal failures. They | | | | avoid their own childhood experience of having a |
| thought being a single parent was a sign of personal or | | | | father absent, that they wanted to be a role model, |
| intellectual weakness. | | | | and they that felt a strong bond with their kids. These |
| But today, many households are run by single parents, | | | | fathers had high expectations for their kids and got |
| and single parents are not limited to one race or | | | | most of their parenting advice from their mothers. |
| gender. You'll find single-parent families headed by men | | | | Most of the fathers reported that single-parenting had |
| and women of many different races. | | | | a positive impact of their lives, and they felt the |
| In fact, there are just about the same number of black | | | | relationships with their children improved their own |
| and white males who are also single parents in the U.S. | | | | satisfaction with life in general. |
| today. And those single fathers face the same | | | | To learn more about the findings of research into the |
| challenges and problems. | | | | lives and challenges of single black fathers, you might |
| The truth is that census figures don't really tell us how | | | | read these timely articles. They are easily available on |
| many black single-parent males are out there today, | | | | the Internet. |
| although the 2002 US Census did find that three of | | | | * Black Men: the Crisis Continues by Slaim Muwakkil. |
| every ten children are raised by a single parent. But it's | | | | This article was published in a popular magazine. It |
| safe to assume that, no matter how many single black | | | | discusses the political issues facing blacks today, |
| fathers there are today, the number is rising. | | | | focusing on black males. |
| It doesn't really matter why. Whether children are born | | | | * "The Black Family: 40 Years of Lies? by Kay S. |
| because they were wanted or not is not the issue. | | | | Hymowitz. This magazine article talks about the social |
| The fact that single parents choose to stay with and | | | | implications of being a single black father for the race |
| care for their children is the important point. | | | | as a whole. |
| As mentioned earlier, black males face the same | | | | * "Parent Trapped: Dating for Single Parents? tackles |
| problems as do other single parents. And as other | | | | the issue of single parents beginning to date again |
| single parents are qualified for financial help, so are | | | | after the end of their previous relationship. The article |
| single black fathers. | | | | discusses issues that black men identified related to |
| Studies About Single Black Fathers | | | | single parenting. |
| Several studies are available that examine the issue of | | | | * "Black Single Fathers" by Roberta Coles. Published in |
| single parenting for black males. The make one | | | | the Journal of Contemporary Ethnography, this article |
| assumption up front: that single parenting is more | | | | reports on research into the motives of African |
| difficult for men because they are not very domestic. | | | | American full-time single fathers in making the decision |
| They suggest that men do not cope with single | | | | to become parents. |
| parenting as well as women. Some psychologists | | | | * "African American Single Full-time Fathers: How Are |
| argue that single mothers tend to be more mature and | | | | They Doing?" by Roberta Coles. Published in the |
| emotionally stable than their male counterparts, making | | | | journal African American Men, this article reports on |
| them more capable single parents. | | | | interviews where ten single black talked about their |
| On the other hand, some professionals argue that men | | | | experiences and attitudes with single parenting. |
| approach parenting more logically than women do and | | | | |