Fifty years ago, the typical American family consisted of a mother, father, and their children. Yet today, “in the United States, one in four children is raised by a single parent. Experts point to a variety of factors to explain the high figure in the United States, including a cultural shift toward greater acceptance of single-parent parenting. »(Armario). As these numbers continue to rise due to modern ideas and increasing divorce rates, children of single parents are struggling. “Today, 41% of all births were to single women. » (Hymowitz). Single-parent families have a detrimental effect on children's psychological development, as single-parent families lack financial stability and quality parental care, in addition to lacking a stress-free environment. According to the 2012 Census Bureau report, in 2012, the average family income was approximately $51,017 per year. Income is almost split in half for a single parent's income. Single parents are often financially unstable, diminishing their children's opportunities and quality of life. “The single mother lives with competing priorities: earning money and providing care for her children” (Bronnimann). To provide some relief to single parents, the government requires the noncustodial parent to pay what is called child support. Child support is a payment that the non-custodial parent must pay to offset the financial costs they would need to contribute to the child or children to support their lifestyle. However, it is often the case that the non-custodial parent does not earn enough income to pay a significant amount of child support. In some cases, the noncustodial parent may be unemployed and unable to contribute at all. Children coming from ...... middle of paper ...... hips of a single-parent family. One in four children come from a broken home. Works Cited Armario, Christine. “In the United States, 1 in 4 children are raised by a single parent. » Associated Press: np. Print.Bronnimann, Salomé. “Stress of Single Mothers and Its Effects on Child Care Quality.” The Master'sCollege URJHS Volume 7 (): n. page. Print.Friedrich, Liz. “The cost to children”. Understanding social issues: divorce. New York, New York: Gloucester Press, 1988. Print. Hymowitz, Kay S. "Broken Homes, Broken Boys." Los Angeles Times: p. R.15. Print.Hymowitz, Kay S. “The Single Mother Disorder.” Los Angeles Times January 1, 2012: A.26. Print.Thompson, Victoria. “The Disadvantages of Being a Single Parent and Raising a Child.” Daily life. Demand Media, and Web. January 1. 2014.