Which factor is cited as contributing to more lone-parent families?

Which factor is cited as contributing to more lone-parent families?

• A. The greater economic independence of women
• B. Improved contraception, changing male attitudes, and fewer 'shotgun weddings'
• C. Reproductive technology is available to women
• D. Changing social attitudes

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is how a woman’s financial independence influences family structure. When women have their own reliable income and economic security, they’re less dependent on a partner to support themselves and their children. That financial freedom makes it more feasible for a woman to leave an unhappy or unstable relationship, or to form a single-parent household through separation or divorce, without facing crippling financial hardship. Over time, this leads to more lone-parent families, typically headed by women who can sustain their households on their own. Other factors can affect family forms in various ways, but they aren’t as directly linked to the rise in lone-parent households. For instance, improved contraception and changing male attitudes can influence marriage and childbearing patterns, but they don’t by themselves drive the growth of single-parent homes as strongly as women’s economic independence. Reproductive technology expands options for having children, including for single women, but the key driver for more lone-parent families tends to be the ability of women to support themselves financially. Changing social attitudes may support these changes but don’t alone create the trend.

The main idea here is how a woman’s financial independence influences family structure. When women have their own reliable income and economic security, they’re less dependent on a partner to support themselves and their children. That financial freedom makes it more feasible for a woman to leave an unhappy or unstable relationship, or to form a single-parent household through separation or divorce, without facing crippling financial hardship. Over time, this leads to more lone-parent families, typically headed by women who can sustain their households on their own.

Other factors can affect family forms in various ways, but they aren’t as directly linked to the rise in lone-parent households. For instance, improved contraception and changing male attitudes can influence marriage and childbearing patterns, but they don’t by themselves drive the growth of single-parent homes as strongly as women’s economic independence. Reproductive technology expands options for having children, including for single women, but the key driver for more lone-parent families tends to be the ability of women to support themselves financially. Changing social attitudes may support these changes but don’t alone create the trend.