What does it mean to be a single parent? Many have their own opinions about what it means to be a single parent, but being a single parent means that it is now a parent's job to be both a mother and father to their children. Many debate how children living in single-parent families are affected. Some believe that children living in single-parent families are more at risk than children living in two-parent families, but this finding can vary across many different situations. Over the past twenty years, single-parent families have become more common than the nuclear family that normally consists of a mother, father and children. Now there are families headed by a single mother or a single father or sometimes other relatives. One of the main causes of single-parent families is unwanted pregnancies. Unintended pregnancies account for nearly 37% of births in the United States. Doctors say that whether a baby is planned or not has important consequences for the health of the mother and baby. Mothers who have unplanned pregnancies are more likely to receive little or no prenatal care, to smoke cigarettes during pregnancy, and to refuse breastfeeding, a practice known to have health benefits for the mother and baby. Unwanted babies also tend to have lower birth weights. These unwanted pregnancies, especially in teenagers, can lead to the father leaving and deciding not to be part of the child's life. The popularity of marriage has declined as has the percentage of single women between the ages of eighteen and forty. -nine who have never married doubled. The percentage of women of the same age who live with a partner but are not married tripled from just 11% to 34%. The US Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, ... half of the document. .....not all situations and may not share the qualities highlighted by the research. Works Cited https://www.apa.org/helpcenter/single-parent.aspx http://www.express.co.uk/ news/uk/382706/Rise-of-the-single-parent-family http: //thefatherless generation.wordpress.com/statistics/ http://www.all4women.co.za/lifestyle/parenting/the-pros-and -contro-del-genitore-single http://thegoodnewsplus.com/content/ pros-and-cons-being-single-parent http://www.supernanny.co.uk/Advice/-/Parenting-Skills/- /Discipline-and-Reward/How-to-cope-as-a-single -parent-~-tips-to-help-you-along-the-way.aspx http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/ 07/01/children-of-divorce_n_3529920.html http://abcnews.go .com/Health/cdc-40-percent-us-births-unintended/story?id=16840288 http://abcnews.go.com/ Health/cdc-40-percent-us-births-unintended/story?id= 16840288&page=2http://www.chums.uk.com/how-loss-can-affect-children/