Impact of Gender on Single Parenting Challenges

Children are supposed to grow in a family setting where both mother and father take their respective roles in the upbringing of the child. In recent years there has been a sudden rise in the phenomenon of single parent families. Single parent families face challenges in properly raising their children. This research sought to find out the impact of gender on single parenting challenges to their infant childrens learning and development. The research employed mixed methodologies. It used questionnaires, observation checklist and document analysis as research instruments. The sample of research participants consisted of 30 school teachers, 18 school heads and 20 parents and 20 children in grade 1 and 2. The data is presented in the form of tables and excerpts. The study found out that most single parents who faced many problems were female. The female single parents occupied the lower ranks of the social strata. The study showed that female single parents were in most cases uneducated having failed to complete secondary education which put them at a disadvantage when competing for jobs on the labour market. The limited education meant that the female single mothers also faced challenges when it came to assisting their children with home work. The type of work they performed was physically exhausting so that at the end of the day they could not find time to assist their children with homework. The academic performance of infant children from single female parents was generally lower than those from intact families. The study recommends that the schools organise support groups for single parents. The study also recommends that the government legislation and policies should assist low income single parents in solving their parenting problems. There is need for schools to set up guidance and counselling programmes to assist children from single families so that they are able to cope with challenges they face and are able to compete with children from intact families.