Single Parent Barriers to Satisfactory Employment

Career Counseling

Single Parent Career Choice and Barriers

Introduction

Little research has been done on the barriers of single parenthood. It is important for counselors to understand how they can facilitate sustainable employment with single parent families as they are on the rise in the US. In this paper the role of the single parent and employment will be discussed. This includes the importance of career counseling, single parent statistics, the career counseling theories to be used, interview, assessments and discussion of the theories used, environmental and personal barriers, local resources, recommendations and the importance of spirituality for this demographic.

Single parenting and the importance of career counseling

Families in the US are diverse; however, one particular population struggles the most with career success. In a study conducted on 15 single parents regarding the effect of financial hardship on psychological wellbeing, participants stated food and gas poverty and the high level of sacrifice endured to simply meet the basic needs of children in these households (Stack & Meredith, 2018). Some examples include taking low-wage work that is available and flexible rather than work that aligns with one’s interests, choosing to feed one’s kids or oneself, choosing to pay a bill or feed the family which may incur more debt from late fees, choosing to become dependent on another rather than spend over half a paycheck on available childcare and ultimately to stay home and raise one’s own children rather than working to pay someone else to raise a higher rate than what one is paid. Mental health issues were also involved. Participants reported isolation, anxiety, depression, paranoia and suicidal thoughts and that counseling services did not consider single parent struggles causing these families to fall through the cracks of the system (Stack & Meredith, 2018). According to Stack and Meredith, we must begin to acknowledge these impacts and consider the “economic drivers of distress” (2018).

Single parent statistics

23% of children under age 18 in the US live with one parent compared to 7% worldwide. In other countries these rates are much lower; China 3%, Nigeria 4%, India 5%, and Canada 15% (Kramer, 2019). US demographics show single parent households of Asian Americans at 20%, Whites at 34%, Latino and Hispanic at 42%, and 66% for African American Families (Smithwick, n.d). Young adults continue living at home with their parents represent 20% of Americans between ages 18 and 34 but this does not include 3 generations who may be residing together. Financial resources for lower income families must stretch further and domestic chores are more easily accomplished when shared among several adults living together. (Kramer, 2019). 

One of the biggest barriers associated with single parents and their careers involves the mindset that being a parent is not work and doesn’t deserve the comfort and stability of a stable income unless there are two parents in the home. The level of respect for those who do chose to stay home is often very low and women are criticized for not contributing to the labor force. Parenthood begins with maternity, and according to Hastert,

Maternity within the workplace is viewed as an emotional state that must be kept from interfering with work. This assumption that the impact of maternity on the workplace will be limited to the inconvenience of maternity leave is symptomatic of the lack of cultural acknowledgment that parenthood is an important and permanent transition in adult development (n.d.).

Pregnant and new mothers, married or not, are stereotyped into emotional and irrational personality types particularly by male employers perception that pregnancy is a temporary problem or even an illness that will end.

Parenting after birth becomes a first priority job for most parents, and becomes a barrier for single parents often forcing them into 1 or more low wage jobs allowing little to no time with their children. Hastert found in her review regarding studies of attitudes toward pregnant women in the workplace that men’s views of pregnant women co-workers included high emotionality and irrationality, that they should choose to stay home with children, and employers shouldn’t have to accommodate their needs. Additionally, pregnant women were frequently rated lower than non-pregnant employees at task performance by men and it is often expected of them to shorten their maternity leave. This behavior can cause women to deny their support needs to prove functionality equal to men. Single mothers do not have this luxury, many go without financial or parental support from their partners. Research shows that when two parents are actively involved, even when separated, and the work environment supports the family’s needs, there is less likelihood of mental illness including feelings of anger and resentment. These problems do not go away after childbirth as there are calls from the daycare, sick care, school events, behavioral issues, accidents and any number of other life events that a single parent will have to take time off for (Hastert & Owen, n.d.).

Counselors know that if we valued healthy families and truly understood the benefit of parents being supported in bonding and raising their own children rather than paying someone who is not invested in their development, we would naturally have a healthier society. Unfortunately, capitalism prioritizes the paycheck and devalues any work that is not under the thumb of an employer (Hastert & Owen, n.d.). Furthermore, burdened with the tasks of child rearing, working more than one job to barely survive, parents simply do not have the time or energy to look for resources that are available to them including career counseling (Career Help, n.d.). Below are the percentages of single parent households across the world between 2010-2018 from the Pew Research Center (Kramer, 2021),

Career counseling theory to be used with single parents.

SCCT measures three components including self-efficacy, outcome expectations and goals, examining how these variables interact with clients in their environments. Self-efficacy includes how one judges their capabilities, determines their motivation (associated with high self-efficacy), and effort they are able to apply to follow through with tasks (Ashena, 2014). These beliefs can aid or hinder one’s progress and according to feminist theory are often created by social circumstances and barriers observed through life (Hastert & Owen, n.d.). Outcome expectations are personal beliefs bout one’s ability to respond, imagined outcomes and consequences of a behavior, and these can be either positive or negative and again are based on support or the lack of. Finally, setting goals helps to organize and guide clients’ behaviors, ultimately increasing likelihood of reaching these goals and their desired outcomes (Ashena, 2014). One unfortunate perception of this theory is that single parents should benefit from taking low-paying work. Furthermore, childcare vouchers are only provided to few welfare recipients and these vouchers pay half of what childcare actually costs again leaving single mothers with poor quality care for their children. Childcare, even through government vouchers costs more than helping mothers stay home, bond with their children and learn how to raise healthy productive individuals. This population often must sacrifice their purpose, meals, bills which incur late fees and drive up the cost of necessities, vacation time not to mention technology costs.

Another significant factor when looking at parallels between children abandoned by fathers and rises in violent crime. There is significant evidence that higher crime neighborhoods have higher concentrations of single mother homes where the father has abandoned his parental responsibility. This occurs not only in humans but in the animal world when male bull elephants are removed from the herd and juvenile males exhibit the consequences of this removal by becoming violent (MacRae, 2021). Two further points that are important to make is that when mothers are allowed to develop a strong attachment to their children and fathers are present and involved this can greatly buffer against criminal behavior in children. Providing stability is critical to the lives of children and their families and when one or both parents are absent due to survival needs that do not get met by a living wage, this greatly contributes to crime in the US (Fagan, n.d.).

Using Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) through the feminist lens is critical as this population of parents who are the primary support for their families are mostly women who are greatly affected by social stigmas present in their environment. The research on this specific population is often not addressed in career counseling as few single parents tap into this resource. Theories do not address many of the social barriers of the poor, single parent families, or minorities in general. When this population’s barriers are not addressed, counselors continue to treat clients as if they have the social support when they do not. This places these parents between a rock and a hard space with no escape. Single mothers and fathers without spousal or social networks, often without social and financial child support suffer the most.

Plan: Interview, assessment tools, theory explanation.

Beginning with the interview, rapport and trust must be established through informed consent as well as active listening and understanding of the client’s background and current circumstances. This is critical with this populations as they have experienced discrimination from choosing to put their families before work. During the interview it is important to obtain information about the client’s life experiences, beliefs, and developed interests throughout their lifespan. Information that should be gleaned from this interview include personality type and interests developed throughout life, significant events, career aspirations, current support networks, successful resources utilized and those still untapped, beliefs of the client’s level of efficacy, expectations of the outcome of career searches and employment, and any barriers the client may have already experienced. In addition to working with the SCCT, the counselor should discuss other barriers often experienced by single parents depending on the gender of the client as single fathers and mothers vary in obtaining suitable work due to social and stereotypical barriers. Women typically have more problems obtaining stable full time work when they are single parents and often are called away when children get sick or into trouble at school. Single fathers respond and are seen and treated differently in these circumstances. While this theory focuses on the heterosexual orientation of single parents, other barriers exist for non- heterosexual individuals in counseling.

During the assessment phase, the client can be provided with the Clifton Strength Finder, which focuses on finding the strengths of the client, the O’Net career interest profiler to reveal their interest scores and where they should focus their job search. Both assessments provide resources to discover the path to satisfactory work experiences.

Empowering these individuals with support systems to help them achieve satisfactory work will create stability and allow many of the barriers to stable employment to fall away. It is important to find a client’s natural ability level, help to reframe any negative beliefs they have about their capabilities and set achievable goals to build self-confidence and efficacy in order to accomplish optimal and satisfactory outcomes. Counselors can build up a clients self-image by looking at prior successes, focusing on their inherent strengths, capabilities and interests, and directing them to resources such as education planning and future stable employment doing what they love. When everyone is using their inherent skills on work that interests them, the benefits outweigh the negative affects of forcing a fish to climb a tree where the outcome is unsustainable. A 4-year degree can improve one’s economic status and provide a living wage. Getting single parents into a 4-year degree rather than pushing them into low wage jobs could increase their status and provide satisfactory work experience as well as open them up to many more opportunities. It would be important for education to become affordable or forgivable for these parents as they are already strapped with the financial burden of raising children alone. Providing support through programs and groups of other single parents can strengthen their plight. A suggested program for single mothers involves identification of their roles, their strengths, how to write cover letters, build up resumes, and improve interviewing skills, learning how to network effectively, and establishing professional correspondence skills. Financial strain and material hardship must be reduced, and self-efficacy will increase. Finding informal childcare through family members or other methods is suggested however this can become dangerous to children, often places strain on other family members and can be unreliable depending on the provider (Ashena, n.d.). According to Ashena, the US spends the least amount on childcare, $550 per child compared to $4050 to $5000 per child in Denmark and Sweden respectively (n.d.). A final point that needs to be made is that society and child support enforcement must do better to get absent fathers to be accountable and responsible for their lack of contributions to the lives of their children, and affordable quality childcare or in home nannies should be provided as they are in other countries.

Environmental/personal barriers

“Since the vast majority of single parents are mothers, they have also to deal with the additional difficulties that women face in the labor market” (Antoniou & Drosos, 2018). As mentioned throughout this paper, many barriers exist for single parents, women in particular. Environmental barriers include societal attitudes about women’s roles as parents and career seekers which are incongruent with men’s roles as single parents, equal pay for equal work not necessarily the same work, finding work that supports family values and care when it is needed, childcare costs and safety, the cost of education, the cost and knowledge of technology, patriarchy, capitalistic goals, safety in the workplace, job security, and lack of social and familial support. In addition to this, requirements to participate in programs that are ineffective. To intervene with these issues counselors must educate their clients to these problems and connect their clients to support systems while helping them implement alternative solutions to their unique situations.

Personal barriers can include physical or psychological problems including disability and post-traumatic stress caused by negative experiences in relationships and at work such as child abuse, domestic violence, and workplace harassment, a history of legal or substance problems, finding transportation, and the cost of access to technology.

It is important that counselors don’t stop at helping these people find education and work that aligns with their interests. Women on average make less than men for the same types of work, however they have a need for more independence from men and a right to choose whether to live alone or with a partner regardless of their gender (Chronister, McWhirter, & Forrest, 2006). Chronister, McWhirter, & Forrest state that “Sociocultural conditions are the primary source of women’s psychological problems” (2006). Depression, negative body images, poor self-efficacy, experiences of child abuse and domestic violence plague women’s lives (Chronister, McWhirter, & Forrest, 2006). Counselors must see the presenting issues of single parents as normal responses; healthy attempts to cope with these imposed restrictive roles and not label them pathological. Through the feminist lens, career counselors can address gender, race and class and how these intersect with the oppression of single parents, mothers in particular as products of capitalist and patriarchal society. Patriarchal hierarchies enable men to have power and control over women, and the dominant class over immigrants and women of color through “a segmented labor market, discriminatory barriers, and separate wage scales ensure that people of color are given the worst jobs (i.e., insecure, low-paying, dangerous, dirty, and dead-end)” (Chronister, McWhirter, & Forrest, 2006). Single mother households start out economically disadvantaged when they must hold jobs without potential and are more likely to live in poverty (iResearchNet, 2021).

Local Resources

The local workforce centers are a wealth of resources, but do not employ career counselors to assist with client’s needs and specific circumstances. They offer webinars, job fairs, technological education, resume and cover letter help, and reporting to assistance programs whether the client has complied with their requirements to continue receiving support. More often, these centers offer enforcement of rules that place parents between a rock and a hard space. They do not follow career theories and are not counselors with licenses. Insurance does not cover career counseling and those able to afford it are not struggling as single parents who have to spend over 8 hours per day working to support their families. Child support enforcement must engage the other parent but often does little unless the custodial parent investigates and provides that information to the agency to find the non-paying parent, and the court system often does little to enforce child support unless the single parent can pay an attorney that will go after the absent parent.

Thanks to the current pandemic, this administration is discussing two years of free college which could actually help single parents achieve a better job and wage and possibly even help them continue on to a 4-year degree.

There may be support groups that are excellent for networking and building self-efficacy and confidence. One organization, WIFE.org has started single parent groups within the school system that provide emotional and career oriented parental support, children’s therapy groups, childcare cooperatives, education, social events and community discounts (Seidler, 2012).

Recommendations

Although the SCCT can help set goals for this population such as creating a resume, increasing multiple role-planning, self-efficacy and positive outcome expectations (Fagan, n.d.), this is as far as this theory goes and other issues must be addressed for both single mothers and fathers to assist them in reaching their purpose in life and work and the joy of being present in their children’s lives. As long as our society sees raising children as a burden, nothing will change.

Ultimately, the best way to find suitable employment involves looking at one’s interests and skill set, focusing on a job and a few corporations that meets those interests and skills, creating a list of the client’s needs from an employer, finding a few targeted locations and educating oneself in the areas that are needed to have this position. Along the way the client needs to build their confidence and interviewing skills and have a list of questions to ask the employer during an interview. These might include inquiries about accommodations for single parents, family friendliness, onsite childcare (something that is sorely missing in the US), pay and job security as a parent. These are legitimate questions for single parents seeking employment to ask and should not have negative consequence during the hiring process. Unless we empower our clients to begin demanding these supports, things will not change. I believe that with advocacy these issues can eventually be resolved however the process is long and there needs to be more supporting evidence for the barriers to employment for single parents rather than forcing compliance.

Incorporating spirituality

When interviewing clients, using the life balance wheel can provide the counselor with an idea of where client’s need support. Spirituality is often placed on the back burner unless people have devoted daily practice. It is important to understand the client’s perceptions of how spirituality plays out in their lives and not impose one’s beliefs onto their clients. The counselor should take the time to discuss this with their clients. A holistic approach to counseling can facilitate increasing low levels of spiritual activity and helping clients connect with a spiritual Sanga or fellowship aligning with their beliefs which can also increase their networks and support systems.

Pinterest. (n.d.).

In a research article by Lemke, he states that “From a Christian integrative perspective, calling is defined as a perspective on life and work that emphasizes the ongoing invitation by God to participate in his purposes and is motivated by a desire to serve God and others” (2020). Because religious dogma, and subservient expectations support patriarchal control over women, this subject could become harmful if imposed on clients experiencing barriers due to patriarchal oppression. It is clearly important for this demographic that the counselor takes the time to understand the client’s spiritual perspectives before discussion of this topic. The ACA Code of Ethics states clearly that counselors should remain mindful of and prevent imposing their principles, beliefs and behaviors. Counselors must respect the diversity of clients and educate themselves where they are at risk of this imposition (ACA, A.4.b, 2014).

Conclusion

More research into the barriers that single mothers face must be to bring this population out of poverty. With effective advocacy, more support can be gleaned by looking at other countries and the value they place on raising children. Possibilities can increase when society values the work that parents do in the home regardless of their relationship status and absent parents must be encouraged to contribute to the family system in healthy ways. This can resolve many problems as the current system only works for the white male.

References

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Antoniou, A.-S., & Drosos, N. (2018). Single parenthood and career-related issues. In T. K. Babalis, Y. Xanthacou, & M. Kaila (Eds.), Family issues in the 21st century. Single-parenting in the 21st century: Perceptions, issues and implications (p. 143–166). Nova Science Publishers.

Ashena, S. O. (2014). A career development program for single mothers (dissertation).

Career Help. (n.d.). Single-parent family. Retrieved 6/16/2021 from: https://www.dbbm.fiocruz.br/class/Lecture/d17/sql/www.baycongroup.com/education/car_single_parent.htm.

Chronister , K. M., McWhirter , E. H., & Forrest, L. (2006). A critical feminist approach to career counseling with women. In Handbook of career counseling for women (p. 167). essay, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Fagan, P. (n.d.). The real root causes of violent crime: The breakdown of marriage, family, and community. The Heritage Foundation. https://www.heritage.org/crime-and-justice/report/the-real-root-causes-violent-crime-the-breakdown-marriage-family-and.

Hastert , C. J., & Owen, A. B. (n.d.). Career counseling with working mothers (dissertation). Lawrence, KA.

Kramer, S. (2021). U.S. has world's highest rate of children living in single-parent households. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/12/12/u-s-children-more-likely-than-children-in-other-countries-to-live-with-just-one-parent/.

Lemke, D. L. (2020). Vocation and lifelong spiritual formation: A Christian integrative perspective on calling in mid-career. Christian Education Journal: Research on Educational Ministry, 17(2), 301–324. https://doi.org/10.1177/0739891320923562

MacRae, F. G. J. (2021). In the absence of fathers: A story of elephants and men. Beyond These Stone Walls. Retrieved 6/15/2021 from: https://beyondthesestonewalls.com/blog/gordon-macrae/in-the-absence-of-fathers-a-story-of-elephants-and-men.

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Seidler, J. (2012). Single parent support. WIFE.org. Retrieved 6/16/2021 from: https://www.wife.org/seidler.htm.

IResearchNet (2016). Single parents and careers - Career development - Career Research. Retrieved 6/16/2021 from: https://career.iresearchnet.com/career-development/single-parents-and-careers/.

Smithwick, K. (n.d.). Children & Youth. ACT Rochester. Retrieved 6/16/2021 from: https://www.actrochester.org/children-youth/single-parent-families-by-race-ethnicity#:~:text=In%202015%2D19%2C%20the%20share,and%2020%25%20among%20Asian%20families.

Stack, R.J., Meredith, A. (2018). The impact of financial hardship on single parents: An exploration of the journey from social distress to seeking help. Journal of Family and Economic Issues (39), pp. 233–242. Retrieved 6/16/2021 from: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10834-017-9551-6