A new research on gender issues just found that single fathers in terms of finances fare better than single mothers.

Single mothers are more likely to live in poverty than single fathers...here's why

Bukky Sanni

 

Single fathers who have custody are most likely to have a partner who's cohabitating  and will share household duties with him

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This means there's a high tendency of a single mother to live in poverty.

According to reports, the study also found that the income of single fathers increased or

remained the same despite another child being added.

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Karen Kramer, assistant professor of family studies at University of Illinois in Chicago, US, speaking on the findings said, "Single mothers earn about two-thirds of what single fathers earn."

"In 2012, 28 percent of all US children lived with one parent. Of that number, 4.24 million single mothers lived below the poverty line compared to 404,000 single fathers," she said.

Kramer said the single most important factor that allowed single-parent families upgrade from the poverty line is working full-time, she said.

play Father and daughter.
(Effiezy)

"Single fathers are more likely to become single parents as the result of a divorce; single mothers are more likely never to have been married," Kramer added.

"Divorced single parents tend to be better off financially and are more educated than their never-married counterparts," she explained.

Speaking on living arrangement, the most common  for children from divorced homes is to be in custody of the mothers. Single fathers who have custody are most likely to have a partner who's cohabitating  and will share household duties with him.

  Raising Kids
(expertbeacon)

"Single mothers are more likely to be doing everything on their own," she said adding that these women are often stigmatized.

"People think: How did you get in this position? It is irresponsible to be a single mother with so many kids. Now you do not have time to work," Kramer said.

She recommended that more pressure and emphasis should be placed on single fathers who should always pay child support and spousal maintenance.