Running Head: LOW INCOME SINGLE MOTHERS

Community Problem Report: Low Income Single Mothers in the El Paso Community
The University of Texas at El Paso
RWS 1301
November 8, 2015
Carolina Rojas

Abstract

LOW INCOME SINGLE MOTHERS

Low-income single mothers are a part of the community that are effected economically and
socially. The poverty line defined by the United Sates government and El Paso effect single
mothers and how they live. Their work input is also a factor that contributes to the poverty rate
among single mothers due to the limited time they have and the benefits offered. Low-income
single mothers are not left to struggle, the government does provide programs that are able to
assist them financially as well as nutritionally, medically, and socially. However, the welfare
reform has made it tougher on single mothers by having stricter requirements. Not only do single
mothers face difficulties, but their children are affected by the situation as well, particularly in
their educational development. The factor of having only one parent can effect how a child does
in school and how long they remain getting an education for. Low-income single mothers and
their children are forced to face many obstacles. Despite their hardships, it can potentially make
the people living in this situation a stronger and more hard working individual.

Keywords: Low income, Poverty, Single Mothers, Low Employment Wage, Government
Assistant Programs, Welfare, Children, Education

Introduction

LOW INCOME SINGLE MOTHERS

Families headed by low-income single mothers are amongst the most vulnerable in our
community. The number of families in this situation keeps increasing over time. According to the
U.S. Census Bureau about 12 million single parent families in 2014, more than eighty percent
were headed by single mothers (Grants for Single Mothers, 2015). Nearly a third of household
headed by single women live below the the poverty line. A single mother is a mother not living
with a spouse or partner and who has most of the responsibilities in the house, the family and in
raising the child or children. The number of working families headed by a woman that are lowincome has increased from fifty-four percent in 2007 to fifty-eight percent in 2012. The fact that
a continuous number of families headed by a working single mother fall into poverty is troubling
because more and more mothers are the main source of the income. Low-income single mothers
in the El Paso is a topic that needs to be addressed and brought more awareness to it. This report
will cover how the poverty line is defined by the United States government and the factors that
play a role on low income single mothers, policies, laws, and programs that exist related to or for
low income single mothers, and the effects it has on childrens education.
Poverty Line Defined by the United States
The definition of poverty is general scarcity, dearth, or the state of one who lacks a
certain amount of material possessions or money. Poverty is on the rise in single-mother
families. According to the CoActive Connections 2015 federal poverty guidelines (2015) a
family of 4 must earn below $24,250 annually to be considered living in poverty. The poverty
line of a family with 2 persons earned less than $15,930 annually and for a household of 3
persons the poverty line was $20,090. These guidelines are updated every year and are used to
not only define poverty, but also determine ones eligibility for many federal programs
(Coactive Connections, 2015). Data from the United States Census Bureau shows that El Pasos

LOW INCOME SINGLE MOTHERS

poverty rate for families has gone from 21 percent to 20.3 percent since 2010. However, El
Pasos poverty rate remains higher than the nations. According to research done by Wolfinger
(2015) In 2013 families headed by single mothers were more than five times likely to be poor.
Figure 1: Graph percent poverty by
race/ethnicity and family type:2014

Research has shown that in El Paso the

percent of all single mothers and their children living
in poverty is quite high. In 2005 the percent was at
forty-four and although the data is not recent it is able
to give an idea of the population of low-income single
mothers in the community (Gilot, 2007).

Copyright 2014 IPUMS.org

Low-income mothers in the community is a topic

that needs to be talked about and addressed because these mothers and children face many
obstacles and difficulties. For example, the most universal problems they have to deal with are;
handling family finances, medical care, transportation, meeting the childrens emotional need,
handling or controlling the children, and household tasks. Unlike two parent household, the
mothers have all the responsibly left to do on their own. Although many single mothers work
more hours they have much higher poverty rates. According to Tim Casey (2012) the reason we
have these high poverty rates for single mother families- is because our income support system is
terribly inadequate and theres a very high rate of low-wage work. This statement is addressing
the fact that the United states lags far behind in supporting the combination of jobholding and
caregiving. The United States is the only country without an entitlement to paid annual leave
making it difficult for single mothers to leave work in order to care for their children or have
other responsibilities to take care of. Also in the United States free education is generally
available for five year olds but much less for three and four years olds, so working single

LOW INCOME SINGLE MOTHERS

mothers need to pay for someone to watch their infants. These factors and more affect the work
of single mothers leading to them earning poverty wages. One important reason to be concerned
about low-wage employment is because many families in El Paso are supported by their single
mothers in those jobs.
Policies, Laws and Programs
In todays economy and the poverty line makes it hard to imagine the difficult situation of
single women raising their children alone. In 2013, federal and state governments spent over
$934 billion on welfare programs that provide cash, food, housing, medical care, and targeted
social services to poor and lower income Americans. Half of the welfare assistance went to
families with children headed by single mothers. Single mothers do have the option of gaining
some help by programs. A very known program that is intended to aid mothers in need is The
Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women Infants, and Children that provides Federal
grants to States for supplemental foods, health care referrals, and nutrition education for lowincome pregnant, breastfeeding, and non-breastfeeding women, and to infants and children up to
the age of five who are found to be at nutritional risk (Women, Infants, and Children, 2015).
WIC works toward improving the health of mothers and their children with food, nutrition
counseling, and access to health services. Other programs that help out low-income single
mothers are Medicaid and CHIP which provide medial coverage for more than 4 million lowincome Texans. As stated in the El Paso Times, research by Figueroa says (2014) the
expansion of Medicaid programs in Texas would help the current 150,000 uninsured El Pasoans
to get health care coverage. Currently Texas has the largest population of uninsured in the
United States and a cause is that Texas Medicaid eligibility is one of the most restrictive in the
nation. The expansion of Medicaid programs under the Affordable Care Act, also known as

LOW INCOME SINGLE MOTHERS

Obamacare would serve people with incomes below 138 percent of the federal poverty who
meet the certain requirements. Not only would this provide medical benefits for low-income
single mothers and their children but for the rest of the El Paso community as well (Figueroa,
2014). However, Governor Rick Perry has refused to expand Medicaid reason being that it
would impose long-term financial burdens on Texas.
Welfare plays a big role in the lives of low-income single mothers. Welfare is government
programs which provides financial aid to people who cannot support themselves. Welfare
Reform Act of 1996 limited recipients access to cash assistance and also restricted the definition
of work. According to research by Edin and Lein (1997) By 2002, 50 percent must be
working virtually every single mother who is not disabled will be expected to work
regardless of her educational preparation or skill level. In particular, the Temporary Assistance
for Needy Families (TANF) program encourages caseworkers to focus on work versus
education (Freeman,2015). The TANF program was not intended to be a college scholarship
program for postsecondary education, the law reads. This forced many single mothers to go
from welfare to work and be faced with more challenges. For single- mothers that went to
school and would rely on food stamps and cash assistance for their children, they would have to
fulfil the programs requirements of work or vocational training as opposed to college classes
that would not count toward the requirements.
Effects on Childrens Education
The number of children raised in a single-parent household continues to rise. According to Kunz
(2015) the effects of a single-mother home on a childs behavior impact several areas of life,
including academic achievement. Children living with only their mother and low income can
increase the child to perform poorly in school. Since a single-mother has more responsibilities

LOW INCOME SINGLE MOTHERS

and tasks it can lead to the child receiving less attention and help with their homework. It is
possible for single mothers to have less time to push and encourage their childrens education,
doing homework, being involved in activities and so one. Individuals from families with two
parents complete on average, more years of schooling and are more likely to graduate from high
school and college than those raised in a single-parent family. A low-income mother tends to
have fewer financial resources which can limit the ability to invest in their childs development.
The educational disadvantage of children raised in low-income families keeps increasing.
However, it does not mean that children are meant to fail in school, they might be highly
intelligent but their economic situation might now allow them further opportunities.
Conclusion and Recommendations
In the El Paso Community it has been revealed that there is a large percent of low-income
single mothers. The difficulties they face are due to factors of being alone and responsible for a
lot while receiving low employment wage. Although there are many programs that offer benefits
and services to those mothers who are in need, requirements are becoming stricter and benefits
are not becoming more generous. Another important part of low-income single mothers is the
effect it has on their children and their education. They do not receive the same attention or
opportunities as those raised in a two parent household which can decline their level of education
and intelligence. Low-income single mothers are a topic that will always be part of the El Paso
community and bringing awareness to this can increase the knowledge of people and influence
new polices or benefits that will aid low income single mothers and their children in need.

References

LOW INCOME SINGLE MOTHERS

Beamer, L. (2015) Defining Poverty in 2015. CoActive Connections Retrieved from

http://coactiveconnections.net/defining-poverty-in-2015/
Edin, K., & Lein, L. (1997). WORK, WELFARE, AND SINGLE MOTHERS' ECONOMIC
SURVIVAL STRATEGIES. American Sociological Review, 62(2), 253-266.
Figueroa, L. (2014, October 25) Expanding Medicaid would help El Pasos uninsured, officials
say. El Paso Times. Retrieved from
http://archive.elpasotimes.com/news/ci_26797024/expanding-medicaid-would-unisuredofficials-say/
Freeman, A. (2015, August 18) Single Moms and Welfare Woes: A Higher-Education Dilemma.
The Atlantic. Retrieved from http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2015/08/whysingle-moms-struggle-with-college/401582/
Gilot, L. (2007, April 8) Single mothers face added difficulties. El Paso Times. Retrieved from
http://archive.elpasotimes.com/news/ci_5620110/
Harris, D. A. (2015). You Just Have to Look at It as a Gift: Low-Income Single Mothers
Experiences of the Child Support System. Journal Of Poverty, 19(1), 88-108.
doi:10.1080/10875549.2014.979460
Kaufmann, G. (2012, December 21) This Week in Poverty: US Single Mothers-The Worst. The
Nation. Retrieved from http://www.thenation.com/article/week-poverty-us-single-mothersworst/
Kunz M. (April 15, 2015) The Effects of a Single Parent Home on a Childs Behavior.
Livestrong. Retrieved from http://www.livestrong.com/article/83670-effects-single-parenthome-childs/

LOW INCOME SINGLE MOTHERS

Percent of Children in poverty, by race/ethnicity and family type: 2014[Online image] Retrieved
March, 2014 from https://contemporaryfamilies.org/moynihan-half-century-brief-report/
United States Department of Agriculture (November 2, 2015) Women, Infants, and Children.
Food and Nutrition Service http://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/women-infants-and-childrenwic

Exercise #3: Designing Your Community Problem Report

Answer all of the following questions in full sentences with as much explanation as possible (about 75 words

LOW INCOME SINGLE MOTHERS

10

for each answer). If you cannot fully answer a question in the list, do the research you need to do in order to
answer it.
1. What background information will you include?
I am going to address how the government defines the poverty line. By doing this I will be able to start off my
topic and how it effects single mothers. This will also be used to show how federal programs determine ones
eligibility based on the poverty line. This background information will be important to get myself and the
audience familiar with the topic.

2. List the major points that your report will make.

The major points that I will make on my report will be, first stating how the U.S. government defines the
poverty rate and how that plays part into low-income single mothers. Another major point I will discuss is how
children of low-income mothers are affected specifically when it comes to their education and the
opportunities they have or do not have. Lastly, I will include if there are any programs that assist low-income
single mothers. If the programs are government or private. I will also discuss any laws or policies Texas or the
El Paso community have.

3. Develop a logical order for these points.

To make the paper flow nicely and well the major points have to logically proceed from one related point to
the next. How I place to develop a logical order for the points I will write about the in the following order; first
discuss how the government defines the poverty line, next if there are programs, laws, and/or policies offered
to low-income single mothers, and at the end mention how childrens education is effected by their situation.
4. Explain how you will transition from one point to another.
Transitions are important because they help establish logical connections between paragraphs and the main
points addressed. To help my paper transition from point to point I will make sure use some of the common
transitional devices for example however, next, lastly, in addition. I will also make sure that I finish talking
about that major point and conclude all the information related before moving on the the next point. I plan on
using good transition to highlight connections between the paragraphs.

5. Describe the visual you will use for your report. Why this visual?
The visual that I will use for my reports will a a graph. The graph is titled Percent of Children in poverty, by
race/ethnicity and family type:2014. This graph shows children that are living in poverty and being raised by
white, black, and Latino single mothers. The graph clearly shows that the percent of children in poverty is
higher for the single mothers compared to those raised with 2 parents. This graph is related to my topic and
supports the idea that single mothers suffer from poverty.

6. Describe how you will conclude your report. Why should the audience care or pay attention to this? I will
conclude my report by restating my main points again and why they are important in my topic of single
mothers. I will make sure to leave the reader with a final impression of my topic without bringing out new
information that I did not cover. The audience should care about this because a large percent of our community
is made up of low-income single mothers. They face many difficulties and obstacles that the community
should be aware and help out.