Single Parents in High-Income Countries: What the United States Can Learn from Others

Abstract

In the last 50 years, single parenthood has become more prevalent in the United States. As compared to other high-income countries, the United States does little to support single-parent families and they fare poorly as a result. This volume takes a comparative approach to extend our knowledge of the experiences of single parent families and the best approaches to support their well-being. By looking at the circumstances of single-parent families across many countries, this volume sheds light on important questions pertaining to child poverty and income inequality, the role of public assistance in supporting single-parent families, and the impact of this assistance on employment and marriage. In this article, I summarize the authors’ contributions in addressing these questions and present my own perspective on related issues, including the impact of single-parent families and cohabitation on children. I end with highlighting what researchers can learn from this volume and how U.S. policymakers can apply these lessons.