Hit Hard By Recession: Unmarried Parents And Their Children

By: Sarah Dutton
Topics: Poll Positions

(CBS)

As part of the series "CBS Reports: Children of the Recession," CBS News conducted a national poll that includes nearly 1,000 interviews with parents of children under 18 who live with them.

The poll found that almost four in ten parents reported their children have been affected by the recession, and four in five said their families overall had been affected. Many said they were having a harder time paying for life's necessities, and about one in ten said they had delayed taking their child to the doctor or dentist because of financial concerns.

Unmarried or single parents (defined as parents who are single, divorced, separated or widowed) comprise 25 percent of parents in the survey, and they have been even harder hit by the recession. Nearly half of them say the recession has affected their families a lot; only 36 percent of married parents say the same. Single parents (43 percent) are also more likely than married parents (37 percent) to say the recession has affected their children.

(CBS)

Many more single than married parents have had difficulty paying bills in the last six months, more are grappling with unemployment, and more have forgone medical care for their children due to financial problems resulting from the recession.

Two thirds of the unmarried parents in this CBS News Poll are women. Their incomes are much lower than those of married parents'; half have household incomes below $30,000, compared to just 11 percent of married parents. Three in 10 are under the age of 30 and half are between the ages of 30 and 44.

Single parents are also more likely to be out of a job now. 23 percent say they are temporarily out of work, and 30 percent say that someone in their household has been unemployed in the past 6 months. Among married parents, 10 percent are temporarily out of work and just 22 percent report someone in their household has been. Single parents also worry more about losing their jobs; 42 percent say they are very concerned about that happening in the next year, compared to 25 percent of married parents.

In the past six months, unmarried parents say they have been struggling to pay for the necessities of life - more than half have had a harder time paying for food and utility bills, and four in ten have had a harder time paying the rent or mortgage.

HARDER TO PAY FOR EACH IN PAST SIX MONTHS
(Among unmarried parents)
Utilities: 66 percent
Food/groceries: 54 percent
Housing costs: 41 percent
Medical bills: 38 percent
School fees/tuition*: 33 percent
*asked of parents with children in school

Worries about paying for these necessities over the next year is even higher; between seven and eight in ten single parents are concerned about being able to pay for these basic expenses.

CONCERNED ABOUT PAYING FOR EACH IN NEXT YEAR
(Among unmarried parents)
Utilities: 82 percent
Medical bills: 75 percent
Food/groceries: 73 percent
Housing costs: 71 percent
School fees/tuition*: 54 percent
*asked of parents with children in school

Married parents have had less difficulty paying all of these bills, and fewer worry about paying them in the future.

One in four unmarried parents has no health insurance, and 14 percent say their child doesn't either. They are nearly twice as likely as married parents to say they have skipped a doctor's appointment for their child because of financial problems resulting from the recession.

Many have had to look to others to help them get by during these tough times. As a result of the recession, in the last six months 45 percent have had to rely on family, friends and neighbors for food or financial assistance, 31 percent have started using food stamps, a community food pantry or a food bank, and 15 percent have relied on assistance from their local church or religious group.

Sarah Dutton is the CBS News director of surveys. Poll Positions is weekly Hotsheet feature on polling trends from the CBS News Survey and Polling Unit. Click here for more posts from the series.

Sarah Dutton
Sarah Dutton is the CBS News director of surveys.
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by once_again June 21, 2009 4:57 AM EDT: Ahh the ultimate cowardice approach...blame single parents for the economic downturn who had no power in this mess initially. The last time I looked irresponsible homeowners, greedy execs in the mortgage industry, and a "C" student from Yale (from a 2 parent home) charged to the white house credit card an expensive war via a huge welfare check from taxpayers that manifested this chaos-yea that spells single parenting all over it. It's just like cowards to misdirect anger and blame those that can not fight back rather than confront the true offenders. Direct your anger at the source, not on people you view as powerless. It is your same cowardly ways that got us into this mess and now you blindly hope to bully your way out...wake up and pick on someone your own size.; Reply to this comment


by gravyboat45 May 20, 2009 8:45 PM EDT: This article makes it sound like if you get married, then all your problems will be over.
Posted by snarkysnark

Wait, you mean that isn't the case?

CBS!; Reply to this comment


by wdh3007 May 20, 2009 8:18 PM EDT: Economic hard times have hit many people some do what they can to survive that is true but marriage is still more than just a piece of paper no matter how hard it can be.; Reply to this comment


by mainermike May 20, 2009 8:01 PM EDT: AS I SEE IT ---- by Mike "Mainer Mike" Brown.

The fact that there are so many unmarried parents in the first place shows how family values in this country are not what they used to be.

The divorce rate in the U.S. is over 50%. I'm sorry, but that's incredibly high.

And of course, kids get caught in the middle far to often.

What this nation needs is more people who refuse to have kids until they're married, and to take marriage more seriously.

But that isn't happening anytime soon.; Reply to this comment


by gravyboat45 May 20, 2009 7:28 PM EDT: I truly feel sorry for the children because they're the ones who suffer the most. I also feel sorry for parents who had no control over the situation. My heart goes out to these people.......but I have no pitty on those people who ***** around and continue to have children out of wedlock. I also don't have any pitty on parents who have children when they know that they can't afford them but they know that the taxpayers have to support them. They are lucky that the liberals are in charge because they take care of their voting base (welfare recipients). Who says that it doesn't pay to be a worthless Democrat.
Posted by enjoylife63

Must you turn every issue into a partisan one?

I see you got the talking points about the new,"socialism", drive from Michael Steele. lmao From Rush's lips to Mike's ears, huh?; Reply to this comment


by listentothis May 20, 2009 7:17 PM EDT: Like I said camckay, 'same goes for the mother too...stand by your man' and 'both parents need to work together'. Now you have to spend half your money on child support and she is too tired to hold a job from partying it up trying to find another man.

Do you think my marriage is glorious? Do you think I live like the romance novels suggest or TV or princess fairytales? That's all BS. You heard it here first. The problem today....people get married with no real knowledge of what it is like or how to handle problems or issues so they run off 'partying' or trying to find another person who is going to be 'the prince in shining armor'. Now as a result, the dads can't make ends meet to pay for 2 households, and the mothers can't work because they are too tired, or too busy trying to find another husband. Now we all have to pay as a society.; Reply to this comment


by debinok1 May 20, 2009 7:17 PM EDT: I am a single mother via divorce. My ex husband and I had been married almost 5 years before I got pregnant, We had a good marriage, got along great. When our son was 1 1/2 he decided being a "dad" was not the life he wanted. He met a older woman, her kids were grown and she could not have anymore. That was 4 years ago. In those 4 years he has played hit and miss with child support and he has not seen our son in over 2 years, his choice. I work full-time, and do my best for our son. I cannot replace his father. I can only do the best I can for him. The recession sucks, but I have not let it affect his life.; Reply to this comment


by camckay May 20, 2009 6:42 PM EDT: listentothis, get over yourself. I am so tired of hearing the same gripe from people like you bashing men. There are just as many dead beat mothers out there as there are fathers. Some fathers, speaking from experience, work their rear off to support their family. Some don't leave the wife, sometimes the wife runs off with someone else. I personally see 50% of my income go to my ex in child support and insurance, while she can't hold a job for more than a few months, despite having more education than I do (and this was before the economy went bust). And I still end up buying clothes for my kids, paying for their lunches, and school trips while my ex burns through her money on partying and alcohol. And yet for some reason you imply that I am the bad guy and courts still think mom is what's best for my kids. Sure there are plenty of dads out there who need to step up to the plate. But there are plenty of us who do above and beyond what anyone would expect for us, because we love our children. And there are plenty of moms out there who need to stop waiting for a man to take care of them and do something for themselves. I had a single mom who did it, so I know others can too.; Reply to this comment


by listentothis May 20, 2009 6:21 PM EDT: When you come home from work, you are tired, correct? You are going to tell me that single moms do not get tired and are superwomen? NOT. Men, listen up. Start staying with your women and children, good times or bad. When the woman needs a break from the kids, give it to her, and vice versa. When the kids mouth off, stand up and let them know what the proper behavior is in the home. Same goes for the mother too...stand by your man. When I am with my kids for a long time, they get tired and try to get away with stuff.....my husband has to step in and say 'this is enough', etc. Both parents need to work together to relieve each other's stress of working all day outside the home. Stop running off leaving and getting divorced. You think the next man/woman will be different? NOT. People are people. Grass is always greener, but it is usually not.; Reply to this comment


by listentothis May 20, 2009 6:13 PM EDT: Everyone is divorced. Nobody stays married. This is mainly due to financial difficulty putting pressure on the family and lack of up front proper premarital counseling by church and government. Who suffers? The kids and society because now we have to pay. We are paying for health care, etc. We are paying for tired single moms who just can't raise kids alone so they let their kids go around the cities and towns in gangs, refuse to do schoolwork, refuse to listen to the teachers, and mouth off to the mothers. In essence, we are raising a generation of soon to be criminals. Men are lame and do not stand by their women and children.; Reply to this comment