Family Structure and Children’s Living Conditions. A Comparative Study of 24 Countries

Abstract

This study uses large-scale cross-national data from 24 countries to describe the living conditions of children residing with a single mother as compared with children who live with two original parents. Three central areas are studied: children's social support, health, and material resources. The data are derived from the international WHO study Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) of 2001/02. The survey includes nationally representative samples of school pupils of 11, 13, and 15 years of age in countries in Europe and North America and in Israel. After relevant selections, total n=95,335. The general finding is that children in single-mother households have lower social support from parents, poorer health, and smaller material resources than children living with two original parents. The general tendency is rather similar across a large number of countries although more differences are found in some countries and fewer in others. There is no clear pattern regarding how the association with family type varies between countries, for example, according to the share of single-mother households, by welfare state regime, or in relation to single parents' employment rates.

Subjective Well-Being of Adolescent Boys Living in Single-Mother Households in a Cape Town Suburb, South Africa

“…For instance, Laftman (2010) found that when it comes to the description of one's household as not satisfactory or "not well off" children in single-mother households tend to report this more often than their peers living with two original parents. One fundamental difference between two-parent and single-mother families has been found to be related to the economy of the households (Laftman, 2010). According to McLanahan (2008), the single most important factor contributing to difficulties or unsatisfactory experiences by children in single-mother households is the low family income.…”

“…Poor financial resource is responsible for single-mother households being located in small residences, backyard dwellings,substandard housing and in the areas of town with increased violence, lower quality schools and loss of familiar and developed community support, all of which negatively impact children's physical, psychological and social well-being (McLanahan, 2008). The general contention by Laftman (2010) is that unsatisfactory financial status of family is likely to contribute to poor subjective well-being or overall dissatisfaction with life.…”

“…This study evaluated the participants' subjective well-beings by adopting Laftman's (2010) proposition which states that subjective well-being can be assessed from a child's reported experiences on a range of aspects of living conditions in the family. Lahikainen et all (2008) identified indicators of life satisfaction to include economic resources, social support, safety, security and other aspects within the family that can be linked to children's psychological and physical well-being (Lahikainen et al 2008).…”

“…Lahikainen et all (2008) identified indicators of life satisfaction to include economic resources, social support, safety, security and other aspects within the family that can be linked to children's psychological and physical well-being (Lahikainen et al 2008). Indicators of family living conditions to focus for children's subjective well-being, identified by Laftman (2010), include social support, health and economic resources.…”

“…According to Chen (2007), absence of fathers from families is responsible for young adolescent boys' inability to learn a range of life skills and to grow in unique male ways and develop male interests, activities and social behaviours, within the context of their masculinity. Further consequences of absence of fathers from households for children include high incidences of anxiety, depression and at-risk behaviours leading to negative self-image or poor self-esteem, general dissatisfaction with life or poor subjective well-being (Laftman, 2010).…”