A recent report published in Australia has done a great of
showing the effects the decline in marriage rates has had on children. Since
the marriage rates have declined but the child birth rates are still
increasing, this is leaving several children to be raised by either one
biological parent or someone else outside of their biological parents. The
stress from being a single parent leads to the parent neglecting the child or
them taking their frustrations out on the child. Since 1998 child abuse rates
have tripled, this is not counting the cases not reported. Between 1999 and
2006 there was a major increase in reported child abuse cases, sex abuse, and
children being cared for by someone other than their biological parents. The
children have also been suffering from stress and depression leading to alcohol
intoxication rates doubling for children between ages 15 and 24, and the rate
of children hospitalized due to self-inflicted harm increasing by 66 percent.
To help with these statistics it has been suggested that there be an increase
in the number of parenting and family education courses.
I believe the idea of having these courses would be of great
help because the more people are educated the better they can perform as
parents. They should also implement more single parent support groups and
groups for children of single parent households to participate in that would
encourage them to release their stress, anger, depression, or frustrations
through more positive outlets. If the marriage rate continues to decrease, and
there not be anything implemented to help with the effects they are having on
children, the effects will eventually become worst. Also the longer the
children go without these effects being addressed, the more of a negative
effect it will have on them as they become adults possibly causing them to not
want to get married either, which will in turn lead to more of a decrease in
marriage rates.
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