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Kira Turner

Professor Hughes

ENG 1201

4 April 2022

Literature Review

There is a lot of research that has been found on my research topic. The research will be

conducted on the strengths and shortcomings living in a two-parent home and a single-parent

home. Two-parent homes and single-parent homes both face different everyday challenges.

Acknowledging the highlights and challenges both households face. The first step was to figure

out key words that would help find information that is needed for the research paper.

In the Sinclair database I found the article, “Food Security, Dietary Choices, and

Television-Viewing Status of Preschool-Aged Children Living in Single-Parent or Two-Parent

Households.” The article talks about how the number of single parent homes in the United States

has risen, primarily among those headed by women. The article goes on to point out that

childhood obesity caused by poor food habits paired with excessive television viewing among

low-income families. The study's purpose was to compare the food security and economic

condition of female-headed (single-parent) households to those with both male and female (two-

parent). This was done to see if there were any differences in nutritional consumption and

electronic viewing habits among the children aged 2 to 5.

The technique used to create this article was pulling data from previous information

gathered. The information that was used came from USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture)
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from 1994-96, CSFII (Continuing Survey of Food Intake by Individuals) in 1994-96 for all ages

and 1998 for children up to 9 years old. However, the article only uses the data that ranges from

2 to 5 years of age. Females head about half of African American single-family homes. More

than a quarter of these homes live in poverty. Two-parent homes are more aquept to live in

suburban areas. While 74 percent of kids in two-parent households had enough of the foods they

desired, 56 percent of children in female-headed households did not have enough food, let alone

foods they wanted. Two-parent homes also spent more money per individual on groceries than

female-headed households as well as going out to eat. Female-headed households eat more fatty

foods and foods that are not good for them. Also drinking a lot of sugary beverages and pops

causing them to be obese. In these households they also spend more time on electronics instead

of being active. The article concludes by stating that the best way to approach the situation is to

lean towards low fat milk and meats. When it comes to drinks the best options for children is

water and 100-percent juices because they are healthier than drinks with a lot of sugar. Children

look up to their parents. If you want your children to eat healthy the article tells the reader to start

with their own diet and the kids will follow the parent.

In the United States Census Bureau, I found the article, “Percentage and Number of

Children Living With Two Parents Has Dropped Since 1968.” The title in this article tells the

reader what it is going to be about. This article gets straight into the statistics. The first

information the reader is presented with is that 70 percent of kids under 18 years old live with

two parents. Previously in 1968, 85 percent of kids under 18 years old lived with their parents.

Living with two parents is the most common living situation. After that is living with the mother

only. In 2020, 21 percent of kids only lived with their mother while 4.5 percent lived with the
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father only. Also, 4 percent of kids live with a grandparent of relative. Age range and ethnicity

make a difference in the statistics for each living situation.

On google there is an article titled, “5 Advantages And 5 Disadvantages Of Single

Parenting.” The article begins by indulging in the fact that being a single parent is hard. The

purpose of their article is for single parents to understand the advantages and disadvantages to

help embrace being a single parent. The reader is then met with some advantages of being a

single parent. You make all the parenting decisions, managing the finances, and undivided

attention are a few advantages that are explained. After the good comes the difficult. Some of the

disadvantages explained are always being short on money, being overloaded with work, and

negativity in your child. This article makes it more pleasant for the reader by adding strengths to

end on a good note. This is a nice technique when putting shortcomings in a paper. Parents

devote more time toward children and post-divorce stress eases out are some of the big strengths

that are highlighted in the end of the article. This article ensures the reader that if being a single

parent is what they are doing there are more good things to highlight than bad things and to

always keep that in mind.

The article, “Paid parental leave policies for single-parent households: and examination

of legislative approaches in 34 OECD countries” talks about the different paid leave households

tend to receive. OECD is an organization for economic co-operation and development that

consists of thirty-seven countries that focus on economic and social policies. The article starts by

saying that there was a new database created to examine paid leave after birth or adoption for

single and two-parent households. They found that twenty-two countries offer a single mother

less paid leave than a two-parent house. Fathers get less paid leave in twenty-nine countries. In
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terms of adoption mothers and fathers in single-parent households get less paid leave in

seventeen countries. This article is trying to achieve equal paid leave for single-parent families.

Insider higher ed has an article, “Family Influence on Education” that will help with the

research of the paper. She begins by stating that children now have a greater disadvantage with

their education than they did forty years ago living in a single-parent household. Teens that live

in a single parent home have a twenty-six percent rate of graduating college. In 2009 24-year

old’s that lived in two-parent homes completed 14.07 years of school while 24-year old’s that

grew up in single-parent homes completed 12.75 years of school. Money accounts for a lot of the

educational disadvantages single-parent families face.

A lot of the data needed for the research paper has been collected already. Some things

that still need to be found are thing on transgender families. The trials and tribulations that these

families face. Every face and age faces different advantages and disadvantages. From what has

been read so far. It is possible to be a single parent. However, it is more comfortable to have a

two-parent household.
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Work Cited

Bowman, Shanthy A., and Ellen W. Harris. “Food Security, Dietary Choices, and Television-

Viewing Status of Preschool-Aged Children Living in Single-Parent or Two-Parent

Households.” Family Economics & Nutrition Review, vol. 15, no. 2, July 2003, pp. 29–

34. EBSCOhost,https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=bth&AN=12812852&site=eds-live. Accessed 8 Apr. 2022

Bureau, U.S. Census. “Percentage and Number of Children Living with Two Parents Has

Dropped since 1968.” Census.gov,https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2021/04/number-

of-children-living-only-with-their-mothers-has-doubled-in-past-50-years.html. Accessed

25 Mar. 2022

Jou, Judy, et al. “Paid Parental Leave Policies for Single-Parent Households: An Examination of

Legislative Approaches in 34 OECD Countries.” Community, Work & Family, vol. 23, no.

2, Apr. 2020, pp. 184–200. EBSCOhost, https://doi.org/10.1080/13668803.2018.1517083.

Accessed 8 Apr. 2022

Mulhere, Kaitlin. “Family Influence on Education.” Insider Higher Ed, 15 Feb. 2015,

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/02/25/report-marks-growing-educational-

disadvantage-children-single-parent-families. Accessed 9 Apr. 2022

Nadimpalli, Kalpana, and Reviewed by Kimberly A. Ludwigsen. “5 Advantages & 5

Disadvantages of Single Parent Family.” MomJunction,

https://www.momjunction.com/articles/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-single-

parenting_00372990/. Accessed 24 Mar. 2022