Welcome to Young Single Mother Guide
Social Welfare Programs For Single Mothers Article
This is a selection made from among articles on Social Welfare Programs For Single Mothers. For a permanent link to this article, or to bookmark it for future reading, click here.
A Teenage Single Mother's Family Cultural Expectations
from:Most families do not want to hear that their teenage daughter is pregnant. However, teenagers of different cultures can face more severe expectations. When a teenage single mother's family is an ethnic minority or of a particular faith that has cultural beliefs that value virginity or has specific maternal expectations, her choices may become limited and her life planned for her from the moment she announces she is pregnant. In worst-case scenarios, her family may not support her and turn her out as a disgrace, or seek to harm her before the child is born.
The Issue Of Virginity
Some cultures won't talk about sex in the home. Sex education, especially for females, is not encouraged. However, the cultural standard of virginity may be upheld. These leaves many females in these cultures that value virginity not enough information on protection of birth control should they become sexually active.
In addition, once a teenager becomes pregnant, the teenage single mother's family may insist the adolescent marry early or live at home to raise the child. Adoption and abortion may not be considered options in different cultures or faiths. Either way, the teenage mother's education is curtailed and her chances at becoming a stable, independent provider for her children are stalled.
Other cultures may find the teenage mother's condition so offensive to their family honor that they may try to harm the expectant mother or abandon her. It's important to have counseling for the teenage single mother's family as well as the adolescent mother to take into account cultural and religious belief systems if this is the case.
The Issue Of Marriage
In some cultures, a teenage must marry to protect the family honor. It doesn't matter what her age is, if she's pregnant, she has to marry. In the U.S., minors aren't allowed to marry without the consent of their parents. Marriage is seen differently in other cultures, and arranged marriages for a teenage girl to a much older men are arranged to avoid having a teenage single mother, a cause of much disgrace in other cultures.
However, once she is pregnant a teenage single mother's family will pressure her into marrying if their culture demands it. The lack of support for unwed mothers in other cultures causes emotional trauma and can lead to a suicide of a young single mother.
Counselors and schools that deal with other cultures are often not aware of the difference in how different cultures influences the expectations of a teenage single mother's family. As more and more immigrants come to America to seek a better life, the issue of teenage single mothers and the different cultural norms and expectations can make getting help for teen mothers a more sensitive issue requiring more in-depth cultural understanding and counseling.
Social Welfare Programs For Single Mothers News
Obama, here's how to help the poor: Educate both parents and their children
It’s no surprise that President Obama spent much of his State of the Union address Tuesday night tackling two of the most critical problems facing our nation: the weak economy and dwindling access to education. He devoted plenty of rhetorical energy to convincing the American people that he has big ideas for improving these thoroughly intertwined challenges.
Read more...WANT MORE WARS? RAISE TAXES ON THE RICH
Tax Fairness Won't Reduce InequalityReacting to and attempting to co-opt the Occupy Wall Street movement, President Obama used his 2012 State of the Union address to discuss what he now calls "the defining issue of our time"--the growing gap between rich and poor."We can either settle for a country where a shrinking number of people do really well, while a growing number of Americans barely get ...
Read more...For Members
Testimony - As leading experts in a number of public policy fields, Heritage analysts are often asked to testify for legislative bodies, both on Capitol Hill, and in state capitals.
Read more...Kelly: Ex-Welfare Department adviser published controversial views on women, sex and Medicaid
Editor's note: This column contains material that may be offensive to some readers - especially taxpayers.Despite his serial attacks on the state's most vulnerable citizens, Gov. Tom Corbett's recent call for $160 million in new budget cuts and an asset test for food stamp recipients was breathtaking in its cowardice
Read more...Season for Sharing reaches $2.66 million goal
Homeward Bound one of more than 135 local non-profit agencies that get donations through campaign.
Read more...EDITORIAL
In the debate over allowing same-sex marriage in New York and other states, opponents claimed that such an act would endanger the “sanctity” of the vows. read more
Read more...