Single parenting is not a new phenomenon to society. The idea of couples briefly cohabitating and siring children, only then to have one partner – usually the male – move on while leaving his children and their mother behind is actually quite common. Sometimes a man or woman may enter the group of single parents due to divorce or because of the death of the other parent; more commonly, however, is the conception of a child outside of the bounds of wedlock where the relationship between the parents will not last for a variety of reasons. Black single parents have become somewhat ostracized by society because of the sheer numbers they represents in these statistics.

It is a sad reality that white, Asiatic, brown and black single parents will most likely experience financial hardship; after all, there is only one breadwinner for the family and usually this person will not be as flexible as other workers when it comes to working overtime, holidays, and on other occasions. This, in turn, will affect their ability to obtain career level positions that demand a high amount of dedication to the job.

Those who have advice for single parents, especially black single parents, often seek to help them come out of their seeming isolation and help them to form co-ops that help with baby-sitting, after school care, and also such mundane tasks as shopping, cooking and cleaning. When these duties are shared by two or three single parent households, the pressure that usually mounts on the shoulders of one single parent is lifted and divided amongst other households, so that each parent will be able to take care of their children more efficiently.

Granted, while this is great advice for single parents, it may not always present a doable situation. Too often the seemingly endless numbers of hats that white, brown, Asiatic and black single parents are forced to wear day in and day out has contributed to their becoming isolated and harried. Additionally, because very often one of the many balls these parents are forced on a day to day basis does get dropped, it is very easy to explain why they are vilified, stigmatized, or stereotyped mercilessly. Additionally, because of their being stereotyped, they are often insincerely pandered to by politicians in search for easy votes.

More and more black single parents are taking exception to the idea of being taken advantage of by politicians of all persuasions alike. They are quit vociferously pointing out that their perceived financial and familial difficulties to not turn them into gullible voters who will mark a quick dot next to the name of any politician who sends some love their way and offers them some quick fixes.

Instead, single parents are becoming more demanding that their needs be met, rather than their statistics be used as an excuse for politicians who want to portray themselves as being tough on crime. Statistics, they argue, do not just show the problems children from single parent homes cause, but they show in vivid detail how society as a whole has failed them and their families. By turning around these statistics and throwing them back in the faces of those who love to use them, single parents successfully avoid being stereotyped.