DRIVING QUESTION: How do cultural` biases and misconceptions impact the stability of a single parent family structures?
SYMPOSIUM REFLECTION #1
In my exploration of my topic I learned that about 83 percent of single parents are mothers and the other 17 percent are fathers. According to this article single parenthood is becoming the new “norm”. Also that the united states has the most single parents with children under 18. While researching more my group and I changed our topic 3 times, from body image to plus size models v skinny models and now this one. We strongly wanted to do the topic of body image but it was a topic everyone was doing. We wanted to be different and talk about something no one has talked about. Then after talking to Miss Park we settled on plus size v skinny models and how it is or isn't changing the ways we see them.Lastly we settled on single parenthood because it hadn’t been done before and many people are single parents so they understand this topic.In our next step we, or at least me, I hope to find out why there has been an increase in single parenthood or just find a deeper meaning in this topic. Another thing I hope to find is if economic struggles are a factor of single parenting. My collaboration is going really well except for the fact that we never turn in things on time. What's working for me is talking to Miss park and getting her opinion on things I’m not sure about. Then deciding on my own if i should do what's she suggested or not.
SYMPOSIUM REFLECTION #2
Since the last time I wrote about my research I have found out many things and dug deeper into our topic. We know have a driving question, How do cultural bias’ and misconceptions impact the stability of a single parent structures? We keep our topic in the same “realm” since our topic was to general and I’m really thinking about this driving question to have a good project. Now that we are in the student lead research part of the process we have chooses to do a survey and give it to the class as well of both of our parents. We feel like this a good way to see every ones opinions on this subject but it also has some downsides like we aren't getting the opinions of a single parent because none of ur really know anyone with a single parent other wise we would have done an interview with this person and ask them the same questions on the survey. I feel that the process as a whole has been really easy maybe because I just get things fast or because I have someone to talk to when we need to clarify something (aka Ms.Park). I haven’t struggled with anything or gotten stuck but i feel like the hardest part will be presenting the project and talking to people. In our next steps what we need to do to ensure we are successful is to mainly just practice what we are going to say and really be prepared. My collaboration with my partner is really good our communication is good we include both our ideas into every thing what really makes us “work” is that we are really good friend I know for some this could be distracting sometimes it is for us because we want to get off topic but I always get back on track and get her focused as well.
SYMPOSIUM REFLECTION #3
In my exploration of my topic I learned that about 83 percent of single parents are
mothers and the other 17 percent are fathers. According to this article single
parenthood is becoming the new “norm”. Also that the united states has the most
single parents with children under 18. While researching more my group and I
changed our topic 3 times, from body image to plus size models v skinny models and
now this one. We strongly wanted to do the topic of body image but it was a topic
everyone was doing. We wanted to be different and talk about something no one has
talked about. Then after talking to Miss Park we settled on plus size v skinny models
and how it is or isn't changing the ways we see them.Lastly we settled on single
parenthood because it hadn’t been done before and many people are single parents
so they understand this topic.In our next step we, or at least me, I hope to find out
why there has been an increase in single parenthood or just find a deeper meaning in
this topic. Another thing I hope to find is if economic struggles are a factor of single
parenting. My collaboration is going really well except for the fact that we never turn
in things on time. What's working for me is talking to Miss park and getting her
opinion on things I’m not sure about. Then deciding on my own if i should do what
she suggested or not.
SYMPOSIUM REFLECTION#4
My driving question was How do cultural biases and misconceptions impact the stability of a single parent family structures? As we prepared to turn in our project some revisions we made included, adding more details to our board, touching up and adding more information to our speech and making sure that we were prepared. Something that we learned about our topic that we didn't know before was that most parents become single parents because of divorce. The idea of scholarly research was very easy I know most things about it, like it has to be from a credible source. On the part of collaboration I don't think it went very well, I was the one doing mostly all the "hard" work and she did the "fun" stuff. But in the end it all worked out and our project came out pretty decent. But something that I would change or do differently is to pick a topic that we are more passionate about and a topic that has more information about it. To be honest I would never do this again it was fun hanging out with my friends on mentor day and at their house but the whole project just wasn't very interesting to me. Don't think we were just slacking off on mentor day and at her house, we actually did a lot of work on it.
SLR RESULTS/INTERVIEW
For our “Student-led Research” component, we interviewed a single mom and asked her a few questions:
1. Q: As a single parent, do you think there are any stereotypes or misconceptions about you and your family? If yes, where do these misconceptions come from?
A: “No, I don’t think there are any misconceptions about me or my family, there are many different types of families so, no, I don't think there are any misconceptions.”
2. Q: Have you had any bad incidents or have you ever been discriminated against or treated poorly because you are a single parent?
A: “No, I have never been discriminated against because I am a single parent. There were a few other reasons why I have been discriminated against but being a single parent is not one of them.”
3. Q: Being a single parent isn't the cultural norm according to society’s expectations. Why do you think society has such expectations and do you think this positively or negatively affects single parent families?
A: “Society has these expectations because it's their belief that we’re not a traditional family as for being mom,dad and children, it goes back in the days because that's what they believed and for them we’re not a traditional family they also believe that we can not cover all our children's needs and their expectations put pressure on single parents so it's negative; it's bad for us because they think differently about us, like school districts and other people force a lot of pressure on us so we have to understand all the things they expect from us, at school , like PTA meetings and at the same time cover all of our children’s needs.”
4. Q: What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages of growing up in a single parent household?
A: “Some of the advantages could be, my opinion is that we became really close, we are really close to each other, since there is only one parent giving ‘orders’ for putting the rules in the house there’s no confusion or anything like there is with a mom and dad, a mom says yes then a dad says no there’s only one parent worrying and putting the rules, it’s just easier for us to communicate so we became really close and we have each other. Some disadvantages is that we can not do everything ‘normal’ parents can do like me having them in extracurricular activities and providing them with everything they need like when there’s two parents one can do one thing and the other can go to the games and do things at the house. It's a disadvantage that there's no time for everything. This includes the children and the parents. So children have to stop going to one of the activities because there is no time.”
OUR FINDINGS
From our findings, we found that there are many advantages and disadvantages when it comes to being a single parent and being raised by a single parent. Although some single parents have experienced discrimination or have been treated unequally, the majority of single parents have been able to manage their child’s life as well as a “normal family” on their own. One advantage we learned was that the family usually becomes closer-knit because there is only one parent . One common disadvantage, is that there is not as much time on their hands since it is after all only one parent. On the other hand, single parents have learned to deal with being looked down upon and the pressure society has put on them.
INFORMATION SYNTHESIS
Icon: Multiple Perspectives
Imperative: Impact
Universal Theme: Structures
Generalizations:
- Has parts that interrelate
- Is no stronger than its weakest component
- May be combined to form larger structures
- Parts that support and are supported by other parts
ISD
A Structure is no stronger than its weakest component
The structure of a family is traditionally formed by two parents and children. However, this structure is not the only structure that families are made of. There are many variations and kinds of families out in the world. One misconception that people have is that without two parents in the family they are not capable of taking care of their children alone.One family structure that has parts that interrelate are single parent families. In these families, the structure of the family is that there is one parent (a mother or father) and one or more children. According to (Marshall,September 19, 2012), “In many cultures people view single parents as “bad parents” but in fact the greater majority of children raised in single parent households turn out to be respectable intelligent adults that contribute to society in a positive way.”
Structure has parts that interrelate.
Single parenting has many parts that interrelate. The factors that contribute to single parenting may include the parents getting a divorce, a parent who is not part of the picture, or a parent who has passed away. Other structures include parents who are single adoptive parents, or parents who are guardians such as a single aunt, or a grandparent who takes care of the child. In the article Single Parents: The Truth Behind Cultural Stigmas by Hillary Marshall is states, “Single parents are irresponsible. In most cases this is actually the opposite.” Being a single parent comes with misconceptions and cultural biases that many not change.
A structure is no stronger than its weakest component.
A successful group or team relies on each member doing their part or doing well. If one person doesn't pull their load, the whole team will fall or fail. In the article Women’s and Health Network (2015, March 29) it state,“Specifically, it addressed the communication patterns that exist within single parent families, the role the circumstances that led to the parent being ‘single’ play in the communication between the parent and child, and how these children develop because of their family situation.” Without communication in a relationship between a single parent and the child they won’t have a strong bond or there are going to be problems.
Structures may be combined to form larger structures.
Single parenting can be combined with anything to form a larger idea or structure. For example, a misconception that many people believe in is single parenting in society leads to things such as economic inequality, “broken families”, or family support for the children. Therefore, the idea of single families may also impact other structures like the economic structure of a household, where only one parent is bringing in income, or even the structure of roles. Often times, in two-parent homes, the parents share responsibilities of the chores, activities, and other important events. However, in a single family home, that structure is changed and the single parent must do this all on his or her own. As the Huffington Post stated, “America’s top earners are extremely at home talking about families-namely single mothers, and how the dissolution of the two-parent household model has set back the middle and working classes.” Society has shaped people’s thoughts into believing that single parenting can lead to imbalances for the economy and in children because of not fitting into standards. In reality, however, most single parents become shaped into a better, more responsible people during the process of parenting and can handle their children well on their own.
SOURCES
-Usdansky, Margaret (2003, May) Single parent families and their impact on children: changing portrayal in popular magazines in the U.S,1900-1998
-American Psychological Association (2012, April 26) Single parenting and today’s families
-Livingston, Gretchen (2014, December 22) Fewer Than Half of U.S Kids Today Live In a ‘Traditional’ Family
-Leavy, Patrilia (2014,January 31) A Conversation About Single Parenting: challenging the stereotypes
-Women’s and Health Network (2015, March 29) Parenting and Child Health
-Roiphe, Kate (2012, August 11) In Defense of Single Parents
-Modern Pilgrim Journey ,(2012,7 March) The Silent Discrimination: Cultural and Institutional Bias Against Families Led By Single Fathers
-Marshall,Hillary (2012, September 19) Single Parents: The Truth Behind Cultural Stigmas
-Child trends (2015, December 10) Family Structures
SYMPOSIUM REFLECTION #1
In my exploration of my topic I learned that about 83 percent of single parents are mothers and the other 17 percent are fathers. According to this article single parenthood is becoming the new “norm”. Also that the united states has the most single parents with children under 18. While researching more my group and I changed our topic 3 times, from body image to plus size models v skinny models and now this one. We strongly wanted to do the topic of body image but it was a topic everyone was doing. We wanted to be different and talk about something no one has talked about. Then after talking to Miss Park we settled on plus size v skinny models and how it is or isn't changing the ways we see them.Lastly we settled on single parenthood because it hadn’t been done before and many people are single parents so they understand this topic.In our next step we, or at least me, I hope to find out why there has been an increase in single parenthood or just find a deeper meaning in this topic. Another thing I hope to find is if economic struggles are a factor of single parenting. My collaboration is going really well except for the fact that we never turn in things on time. What's working for me is talking to Miss park and getting her opinion on things I’m not sure about. Then deciding on my own if i should do what's she suggested or not.
SYMPOSIUM REFLECTION #2
Since the last time I wrote about my research I have found out many things and dug deeper into our topic. We know have a driving question, How do cultural bias’ and misconceptions impact the stability of a single parent structures? We keep our topic in the same “realm” since our topic was to general and I’m really thinking about this driving question to have a good project. Now that we are in the student lead research part of the process we have chooses to do a survey and give it to the class as well of both of our parents. We feel like this a good way to see every ones opinions on this subject but it also has some downsides like we aren't getting the opinions of a single parent because none of ur really know anyone with a single parent other wise we would have done an interview with this person and ask them the same questions on the survey. I feel that the process as a whole has been really easy maybe because I just get things fast or because I have someone to talk to when we need to clarify something (aka Ms.Park). I haven’t struggled with anything or gotten stuck but i feel like the hardest part will be presenting the project and talking to people. In our next steps what we need to do to ensure we are successful is to mainly just practice what we are going to say and really be prepared. My collaboration with my partner is really good our communication is good we include both our ideas into every thing what really makes us “work” is that we are really good friend I know for some this could be distracting sometimes it is for us because we want to get off topic but I always get back on track and get her focused as well.
SYMPOSIUM REFLECTION #3
In my exploration of my topic I learned that about 83 percent of single parents are
mothers and the other 17 percent are fathers. According to this article single
parenthood is becoming the new “norm”. Also that the united states has the most
single parents with children under 18. While researching more my group and I
changed our topic 3 times, from body image to plus size models v skinny models and
now this one. We strongly wanted to do the topic of body image but it was a topic
everyone was doing. We wanted to be different and talk about something no one has
talked about. Then after talking to Miss Park we settled on plus size v skinny models
and how it is or isn't changing the ways we see them.Lastly we settled on single
parenthood because it hadn’t been done before and many people are single parents
so they understand this topic.In our next step we, or at least me, I hope to find out
why there has been an increase in single parenthood or just find a deeper meaning in
this topic. Another thing I hope to find is if economic struggles are a factor of single
parenting. My collaboration is going really well except for the fact that we never turn
in things on time. What's working for me is talking to Miss park and getting her
opinion on things I’m not sure about. Then deciding on my own if i should do what
she suggested or not.
SYMPOSIUM REFLECTION#4
My driving question was How do cultural biases and misconceptions impact the stability of a single parent family structures? As we prepared to turn in our project some revisions we made included, adding more details to our board, touching up and adding more information to our speech and making sure that we were prepared. Something that we learned about our topic that we didn't know before was that most parents become single parents because of divorce. The idea of scholarly research was very easy I know most things about it, like it has to be from a credible source. On the part of collaboration I don't think it went very well, I was the one doing mostly all the "hard" work and she did the "fun" stuff. But in the end it all worked out and our project came out pretty decent. But something that I would change or do differently is to pick a topic that we are more passionate about and a topic that has more information about it. To be honest I would never do this again it was fun hanging out with my friends on mentor day and at their house but the whole project just wasn't very interesting to me. Don't think we were just slacking off on mentor day and at her house, we actually did a lot of work on it.
SLR RESULTS/INTERVIEW
For our “Student-led Research” component, we interviewed a single mom and asked her a few questions:
1. Q: As a single parent, do you think there are any stereotypes or misconceptions about you and your family? If yes, where do these misconceptions come from?
A: “No, I don’t think there are any misconceptions about me or my family, there are many different types of families so, no, I don't think there are any misconceptions.”
2. Q: Have you had any bad incidents or have you ever been discriminated against or treated poorly because you are a single parent?
A: “No, I have never been discriminated against because I am a single parent. There were a few other reasons why I have been discriminated against but being a single parent is not one of them.”
3. Q: Being a single parent isn't the cultural norm according to society’s expectations. Why do you think society has such expectations and do you think this positively or negatively affects single parent families?
A: “Society has these expectations because it's their belief that we’re not a traditional family as for being mom,dad and children, it goes back in the days because that's what they believed and for them we’re not a traditional family they also believe that we can not cover all our children's needs and their expectations put pressure on single parents so it's negative; it's bad for us because they think differently about us, like school districts and other people force a lot of pressure on us so we have to understand all the things they expect from us, at school , like PTA meetings and at the same time cover all of our children’s needs.”
4. Q: What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages of growing up in a single parent household?
A: “Some of the advantages could be, my opinion is that we became really close, we are really close to each other, since there is only one parent giving ‘orders’ for putting the rules in the house there’s no confusion or anything like there is with a mom and dad, a mom says yes then a dad says no there’s only one parent worrying and putting the rules, it’s just easier for us to communicate so we became really close and we have each other. Some disadvantages is that we can not do everything ‘normal’ parents can do like me having them in extracurricular activities and providing them with everything they need like when there’s two parents one can do one thing and the other can go to the games and do things at the house. It's a disadvantage that there's no time for everything. This includes the children and the parents. So children have to stop going to one of the activities because there is no time.”
OUR FINDINGS
From our findings, we found that there are many advantages and disadvantages when it comes to being a single parent and being raised by a single parent. Although some single parents have experienced discrimination or have been treated unequally, the majority of single parents have been able to manage their child’s life as well as a “normal family” on their own. One advantage we learned was that the family usually becomes closer-knit because there is only one parent . One common disadvantage, is that there is not as much time on their hands since it is after all only one parent. On the other hand, single parents have learned to deal with being looked down upon and the pressure society has put on them.
INFORMATION SYNTHESIS
Icon: Multiple Perspectives
Imperative: Impact
Universal Theme: Structures
Generalizations:
- Has parts that interrelate
- Is no stronger than its weakest component
- May be combined to form larger structures
- Parts that support and are supported by other parts
ISD
A Structure is no stronger than its weakest component
The structure of a family is traditionally formed by two parents and children. However, this structure is not the only structure that families are made of. There are many variations and kinds of families out in the world. One misconception that people have is that without two parents in the family they are not capable of taking care of their children alone.One family structure that has parts that interrelate are single parent families. In these families, the structure of the family is that there is one parent (a mother or father) and one or more children. According to (Marshall,September 19, 2012), “In many cultures people view single parents as “bad parents” but in fact the greater majority of children raised in single parent households turn out to be respectable intelligent adults that contribute to society in a positive way.”
Structure has parts that interrelate.
Single parenting has many parts that interrelate. The factors that contribute to single parenting may include the parents getting a divorce, a parent who is not part of the picture, or a parent who has passed away. Other structures include parents who are single adoptive parents, or parents who are guardians such as a single aunt, or a grandparent who takes care of the child. In the article Single Parents: The Truth Behind Cultural Stigmas by Hillary Marshall is states, “Single parents are irresponsible. In most cases this is actually the opposite.” Being a single parent comes with misconceptions and cultural biases that many not change.
A structure is no stronger than its weakest component.
A successful group or team relies on each member doing their part or doing well. If one person doesn't pull their load, the whole team will fall or fail. In the article Women’s and Health Network (2015, March 29) it state,“Specifically, it addressed the communication patterns that exist within single parent families, the role the circumstances that led to the parent being ‘single’ play in the communication between the parent and child, and how these children develop because of their family situation.” Without communication in a relationship between a single parent and the child they won’t have a strong bond or there are going to be problems.
Structures may be combined to form larger structures.
Single parenting can be combined with anything to form a larger idea or structure. For example, a misconception that many people believe in is single parenting in society leads to things such as economic inequality, “broken families”, or family support for the children. Therefore, the idea of single families may also impact other structures like the economic structure of a household, where only one parent is bringing in income, or even the structure of roles. Often times, in two-parent homes, the parents share responsibilities of the chores, activities, and other important events. However, in a single family home, that structure is changed and the single parent must do this all on his or her own. As the Huffington Post stated, “America’s top earners are extremely at home talking about families-namely single mothers, and how the dissolution of the two-parent household model has set back the middle and working classes.” Society has shaped people’s thoughts into believing that single parenting can lead to imbalances for the economy and in children because of not fitting into standards. In reality, however, most single parents become shaped into a better, more responsible people during the process of parenting and can handle their children well on their own.
SOURCES
-Usdansky, Margaret (2003, May) Single parent families and their impact on children: changing portrayal in popular magazines in the U.S,1900-1998
-American Psychological Association (2012, April 26) Single parenting and today’s families
-Livingston, Gretchen (2014, December 22) Fewer Than Half of U.S Kids Today Live In a ‘Traditional’ Family
-Leavy, Patrilia (2014,January 31) A Conversation About Single Parenting: challenging the stereotypes
-Women’s and Health Network (2015, March 29) Parenting and Child Health
-Roiphe, Kate (2012, August 11) In Defense of Single Parents
-Modern Pilgrim Journey ,(2012,7 March) The Silent Discrimination: Cultural and Institutional Bias Against Families Led By Single Fathers
-Marshall,Hillary (2012, September 19) Single Parents: The Truth Behind Cultural Stigmas
-Child trends (2015, December 10) Family Structures