Children and Single Moms

Whether it is caused by violence or not, children living with single moms don't do well in our society. It used to be the exception.  Now it is becoming the rule and progressively worse.  Is that not child abuse too?  

WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT CHILDREN FROM SINGLE-MOTHER FAMILIES

Single-Mother Family Two Parent Family Relative Odds1
Problem % (n)2 % (n)2  
Hyperactivity 15.6 (69,480) 9.6 (221,573) 1.74
Conduct disorder 17.2 (73,659) 8.1 (180,786) 2.36
Emotional disorder 15.0 (67,205) 7.5 (173,714) 2.18
One or more behaviour problems 31.7 (137,460) 18.7 (418,894) 2.02
Repeated a grade 3 11.2 (36,288) 4.7 (78,026) 2.56
Current school problems 3 5.8 (18,862) 2.7 (46,120) 2.22
Social impairment 6.1 (25,105) 2.5 (51,344) 2.53
One or more total problems 3 40.6 (128,895) 23.6 (381,715) 2.21
  1. Children from single-mother families are 2.21 times (221%) as likely to have one or more total problems than those from two-parent families, twice as likely to have an emotional disorder, etc. (The probability of this being due to chance is smaller than 1 in 1,000)
  2. Weighted projections to reflect national population of children.
  3. Data for items so annotated apply for 6- to 11-year-olds only. All other data in the table apply to 4- to 11-year olds.

[Source: GROWING UP IN CANADA, National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth (Human Resources Development Canada, Statistics Canada, Catalogue no. 89-550-MPE, no.1, November 1996, p. 91) Available from StatCan. It is only available in hard copy. $25 +GST)]