Single Parent Families Living In Poverty

As a single mom, I know the challenges of raising children alone. But I guess I should count my blessings for not being among the ones living in poverty.

 

MSN's Life Inc., reports that 40% of single mothers with children under 18 fall under the poverty level, and single fathers are at near 25%.  

Sadly we have 46.2 million people living in poverty in the U.S. - just over 15% of the population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, but obviously single parents are struggling more than the average American. 

This is based on a poverty level set at $22,314 for a family of four. How could you possibly pay for rent, utilities, transportation, food and clothing for four with a gross monthly income of $1,859.50? I understand that poverty defines those who are "extremely poor" and lack the basics that the rest of us take for granted, but with the cost of living in today's society, I would consider myself poor long before I fell to that income level.

Photo by Daniel St. Pierre/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I expect we will always have a portion of our population living in poverty. However, hopefully something will happen soon to turn our economy around and increase job opportunities again.  Some companies have grown, even through the recession, so why not listen to their ideas? Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook stated in an interview with Nightline:  "We need to restore confidence. Consumer confidence to spend money, and business confidence to hire. It's about having a regulatory environment that encourages business".  She goes on to talk about making it easy for those with entrepreneurial spirit to grow their businesses, as well as ensuring we restore our educational system to ensure our next generation receives a proper education and can carry on what we build today.  You can watch the entire interview in the video below. 

And if the politicians will not listen, at least she gives some great advice that the rest of us can use.